:00:00. > :00:07.A big rise in recorded sex offences against children.
:00:08. > :00:11.Figures show there are up by more than a third in the Thames Valley.
:00:12. > :00:13.So how much of that rise is down to online grooming?
:00:14. > :00:17.Described as a tragic case - an inquest hears how
:00:18. > :00:19.four-year-old Burnaby died after he was run over by his father.
:00:20. > :00:22.And the rising cost of putting a roof over your head -
:00:23. > :00:34.the rents that take half the average monthly salary.
:00:35. > :00:37.The number of child sex offences recorded
:00:38. > :00:40.by Thames Valley Police went up by more than a third last year.
:00:41. > :00:42.Figures obtained by the NSPCC show just under 2500
:00:43. > :00:52.The charity says the figures may be down to the rise of online grooming,
:00:53. > :00:54.as well as survivors feeling more confident in reporting abuse.
:00:55. > :00:58.Here's our home affairs correspondent Peter Cooke.
:00:59. > :01:04.This Thames Valley father knows more than most about child sex offences.
:01:05. > :01:06.His daughter was groomed online and abused by
:01:07. > :01:12.The then 22-year-old took explicit pictures of three underage girls
:01:13. > :01:18.and blackmailed them into having sex.
:01:19. > :01:20.How did they come to be on your mobile phone?
:01:21. > :01:24.Byrne is currently serving a ten-year sentence for his crimes.
:01:25. > :01:26.His victim's father was grateful for the support
:01:27. > :01:32.We've protected his identity for his daughter's safety.
:01:33. > :01:35.The special unit they've got in the local police station was very
:01:36. > :01:37.homely and the officers were very caring.
:01:38. > :01:49.They should talk to their teachers initially and then
:01:50. > :01:56.Figures obtained by the NSPCC show a significant rise in recorded child
:01:57. > :01:58.sex offences by police forces across the south.
:01:59. > :02:02.Only Wiltshire Police saw a reduction.
:02:03. > :02:04.But there was nearly a 40% rise in the Thames Valley.
:02:05. > :02:18.The crime recording processes have changed, so we are much better
:02:19. > :02:21.and slicker at recording the right crimes, which is really positive,
:02:22. > :02:23.and it demonstrates that people are happy to come and talk
:02:24. > :02:26.They are confident in the service that we provide.
:02:27. > :02:29.We know that both family members can sexually abuse children
:02:30. > :02:32.in their families and we've always said that a major threat in terms
:02:33. > :02:34.of sexual abuse comes from other family members or people
:02:35. > :02:48.But online abuse is also increasingly significant
:02:49. > :02:51.and with online abuse we know that abusers can abuse several children
:02:52. > :02:56.Some of these offences are historical - but the force
:02:57. > :02:58.insists it'll take any reports seriously when victims feel
:02:59. > :03:04.Next - Thames Valley Police says it's working closely with key
:03:05. > :03:06.community representatives to allay fears linked to yesterday's terror
:03:07. > :03:13.Chief Constable Francis Habgood said, in light of the what happened
:03:14. > :03:15.in London, the cooperation of our communities is more
:03:16. > :03:20.The force says there is no intelligence to suggest a specific
:03:21. > :03:28.An inquest has heard how a family day out to a swimming pool ended
:03:29. > :03:30.in the death of a four-year-old child.
:03:31. > :03:34.Barnaby Cork's father reversed over him in the car park
:03:35. > :03:36.of the leisure centre in Thame two weeks before Christmas.
:03:37. > :03:38.The Coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.
:03:39. > :03:45.Barnaby Cork's parents, Stefan and Ella, didn't
:03:46. > :03:49.attend today's hearing at Oxfordshire Coroner's Court.
:03:50. > :03:52.The Coroner, Darren Salter, said the facts were not contentious
:03:53. > :03:57.and therefore there was no need to add to the family's distress.
:03:58. > :04:02.Barnaby had travelled with his family to Thame leisure
:04:03. > :04:09.His father had parked in a disabled bay.
:04:10. > :04:13.The children got out of the car to go swimming while the parents
:04:14. > :04:21.Stefan then reversed, not realising his son was behind him.
:04:22. > :04:26.He said he didn't realise he'd run him over.
:04:27. > :04:30.Barnaby was airlifted to hospital with serious head injuries.
:04:31. > :04:35.The family launched a JustGiving page for the charity
:04:36. > :04:45.Our thoughts are very much with Barnaby's family at the moment
:04:46. > :04:49.and we were incredibly grateful and humbled that they chose
:04:50. > :04:51.donating to us as one way of remembering Barnaby,
:04:52. > :04:52.and we have been absolutely overwhelmed
:04:53. > :04:56.Closing the hearing, the coronor recorded that Barnaby
:04:57. > :05:03.He offered his condolences to the family on the loss of a young
:05:04. > :05:16.The mother of an Oxfordshire teenager who died after taking
:05:17. > :05:18.ecstasy wants all drugs to be legalised for over-18s.
:05:19. > :05:21.15-year-old Martha Fernback died after taking MDMA
:05:22. > :05:31.Her mother campaigns for drugs to be regulated and licensed.
:05:32. > :05:33.Plans for a unitary authority for Oxfordshire have been
:05:34. > :05:37.Oxfordshire County Council, along with the district authorities
:05:38. > :05:41.in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse want to see a single
:05:42. > :05:45.But West Oxfordshire, Cherwell and Oxford City
:05:46. > :05:51.Education leaders in Swindon have set out their vision for improving
:05:52. > :05:58.It's after Ofsted published a letter in November,
:05:59. > :06:00.claiming pupils there were being failed
:06:01. > :06:03.The Swindon Challenge Board is now aiming to make sure that every
:06:04. > :06:10.school is rated good or better by Ofsted by the year 2020.
:06:11. > :06:13.Rents are rising sharply according to research by the BBC.
:06:14. > :06:15.In the Cotswolds, tenants are spending almost half
:06:16. > :06:21.The average rent is more than ?1000 a month.
:06:22. > :06:22.In Swindon, tenants pay around ?700 a month -
:06:23. > :06:33.If you're sort of earning average wages or are, you know,
:06:34. > :06:38.part-time because you've got children, it's really hard.
:06:39. > :06:40.A busy medical secretary in the morning, Natalie is even
:06:41. > :06:42.busier with little Oliver and his big sister Heidi
:06:43. > :06:46.She and her husband moved five times in the last eight years,
:06:47. > :06:51.I don't know anyone who is privately renting, just because the prices
:06:52. > :06:54.are so high and what you are getting for your money is not
:06:55. > :06:58.Our last place was quite expensive and the heating
:06:59. > :07:05.It was just not ideal for bringing kids up.
:07:06. > :07:11.Tetbury is beautiful, of course, elegant, royal and pricey.
:07:12. > :07:17.Of course, what really matters is how much of your
:07:18. > :07:26.And that's why we've come to the Cotswolds,
:07:27. > :07:29.because here we discovered that rent takes a bigger chunk out of people's
:07:30. > :07:31.wages than anywhere else in the West Country.
:07:32. > :07:34.In fact, an analysis of Government official figures shows that
:07:35. > :07:36.for every ?100 of wages here in the Cotswolds
:07:37. > :07:46.B - because there's been a shortage of housing in the recent past,
:07:47. > :07:50.so therefore prices have been forced up on supply and demand.
:07:51. > :07:53.How can young people get on the housing ladder
:07:54. > :07:59.Prices may be high but there is a queue of people ready to pay them.
:08:00. > :08:07.Landlords tell me they're finding tenants faster than ever.
:08:08. > :08:09.The property became empty in November and I thought, oh,
:08:10. > :08:13.It's Christmas, no one's going to want to move.
:08:14. > :08:16.But actually we were incredibly lucky and within two or three weeks
:08:17. > :08:19.This is a fairly typical house we might let.
:08:20. > :08:21.It's a three-bedroom detached property.
:08:22. > :08:23.A few miles outside Tetbury, we look around a typical
:08:24. > :08:37.We'd be very hopeful of getting somebody in virtually
:08:38. > :08:39.the first couple of weeks with something like this.
:08:40. > :08:42.And that's the sort of turnaround we've been seeing recently.
:08:43. > :08:45.And what about those people who live in the town
:08:46. > :08:51.Yeah, no, I think there is an element of that.
:08:52. > :08:54.Property is still rented very quickly.
:08:55. > :08:57.Living in such a desirable area with so many positive factors,
:08:58. > :09:00.it really helps property fly off the shelves and they go quickly
:09:01. > :09:04.We can't really argue with that as estate agents.
:09:05. > :09:08.Sarah Farmer has the weather for tonight and into the weekend.
:09:09. > :09:17.Tonight is looking like a cloudy and dry affair, but it will be
:09:18. > :09:23.That easterly breeze that we had with us earlier stays with us
:09:24. > :09:26.through the course of the night and it will feel a little
:09:27. > :09:30.on the chilly side if you are venturing out.
:09:31. > :09:34.It does just about enough to stop any frost through
:09:35. > :09:37.the course of tonight and means we start the day tomorrow morning
:09:38. > :09:40.on a bit of a chilly note, but quite a bit of cloud
:09:41. > :09:42.We will gradually see that cloud thinning
:09:43. > :09:46.It will become bright and dry throughout.
:09:47. > :09:48.Into the afternoon, doing quite nicely for some sunshine with
:09:49. > :09:54.Feeling pleasantly warm where you are sheltered from that breeze.
:09:55. > :09:57.But that nagging wind will just take the edge off by day.
:09:58. > :10:00.So through tomorrow night, any cloud is filtered out and we can
:10:01. > :10:02.expect some drier air through the course
:10:03. > :10:05.Temperatures as a result take a tumble.
:10:06. > :10:09.Clear skies, temperatures down to 2-3 degrees in towns and cities.
:10:10. > :10:12.Still a bit of a breeze but some sheltered spots could be prone
:10:13. > :10:15.to a little bit of frost here and there.
:10:16. > :10:18.A touch of frost is possible to start the weekend for some.
:10:19. > :10:20.But overall, checking out quite nicely.
:10:21. > :10:23.It will stay dry throughout the weekend, some decent sunny
:10:24. > :10:27.spells, particularly on Saturday, and we will still have an easterly
:10:28. > :10:30.flow, but gradually through the course of the day
:10:31. > :10:34.Sunday is looking to be the cloudier of the two days.
:10:35. > :10:36.It's all courtesy of this area of high pressure.
:10:37. > :10:40.We'll stay nice and settled through the course of the weekend,
:10:41. > :10:43.those winds easing down and some sunny spells at times.
:10:44. > :10:46.Here's your summary for the coming days.
:10:47. > :10:49.Through tomorrow, some cloudy spells but some brightness
:10:50. > :11:03.part of the weekend. 1415 degrees. Still quite breezy. Here's Thomas
:11:04. > :11:04.with the national