:00:08. > :00:11.Hello. Welcome to South Today. In a programme tonight: One of Dorset's
:00:11. > :00:17.most dangerous sex offenders is jailed for raping and assaulting
:00:17. > :00:22.vulnerable women. Shutting up shop. Is there a retail prices as one in
:00:22. > :00:27.10 shops in the High Street stand empty. The people just cannot
:00:27. > :00:33.afford the rents and rates in this area. It kills me.
:00:33. > :00:38.Raise the saddle to buy you like it. Our reporter gets a lesson in the
:00:38. > :00:48.fold-up bicycle to use on the train. And the giant of the deep. The most
:00:48. > :00:56.
:00:56. > :01:00.ferocious predator that swam the He used extreme violence and preyed
:01:00. > :01:08.on his victims. Tonight, one of Dorset's most dangerous sex
:01:08. > :01:12.offenders is behind bars. Gene Benjamin has been given four life
:01:12. > :01:16.sentences for a series of rapes and assaults. Caroline has been
:01:16. > :01:21.following the case at the Crown Court in Bournemouth. These attacks
:01:21. > :01:25.happened over years. How did the police track him down? This was a
:01:25. > :01:29.very dangerous man. He repeatedly attacked vulnerable sex workers in
:01:29. > :01:33.Bournemouth. In 2060 was arrested for one of the assaults but the
:01:33. > :01:37.police had to let him go. What was pivotal was gaining the trust of
:01:37. > :01:40.the women that he harmed and persuading them to give evidence,
:01:40. > :01:45.of women that were terrified that if they spoke out, he would find
:01:45. > :01:50.them and heard them again. It was a sensitive operation that finally
:01:50. > :01:55.put him in jail. Gene Benjamin won the trust of his victims and then
:01:55. > :01:59.overpowered them, injuring them and thinking they would never go to the
:01:59. > :02:03.police. The police knew that Gene Benjamin was a violent predator but
:02:03. > :02:07.they could not prove it. They needed evidence and they needed his
:02:07. > :02:11.victims to come forward. It was here in the East Bournemouth area
:02:11. > :02:18.that the attacks took place. Benjamin subjected women to
:02:18. > :02:23.terrifying ordeals between 2005 and 2010. Police began an investigation
:02:23. > :02:28.in July 2009. Detectives working on the case interviewed 25 potential
:02:28. > :02:33.victims. 10 of them agreed to give evidence. We had information that
:02:33. > :02:36.these women were victims of Gene Benjamin. It was a case of pro
:02:36. > :02:40.actively approaching them and seeking their co-operation with the
:02:40. > :02:44.inquiry. It was incredibly brave of them to come to court to give
:02:44. > :02:48.evidence against a very frightening man. We commend them for their
:02:48. > :02:52.bravery. Benjamin lived in the community of his victims. He
:02:52. > :02:56.befriended them, help them and then attacked them. As well as raping
:02:56. > :03:00.the women, he strangled them, attacked them with hammers and cut
:03:00. > :03:08.off their hair. Tonight he begins life sentences serving a minimum of
:03:08. > :03:12.11 years before he will even be considered for release. The strong
:03:12. > :03:15.message coming out of this case is that if you are a woman and you are
:03:15. > :03:23.attacked, the police will take you seriously, irrespective of what you
:03:23. > :03:26.do for a living. Benjamin's victims have to give details of their
:03:26. > :03:30.personal lives to the court, but the jury believed them without
:03:30. > :03:40.judging them, and that is why Benjelloun is in court tonight.
:03:40. > :03:42.
:03:43. > :03:48.Investigators are in an attempt to find out the cause of a fire at the
:03:48. > :03:51.Hermitage barn. There are some explosive gas cylinders with own,
:03:51. > :03:57.which will only then allow experts to move in to determine the cause
:03:57. > :03:59.of the fire. Two dock workers from Southampton
:03:59. > :04:04.that attempted to smuggle cigarettes have been given
:04:04. > :04:07.suspended prison sentences and been ordered to carry out 250 hours of
:04:07. > :04:11.community service. Boxes of cigarettes were thrown from a
:04:11. > :04:15.container ship to Christopher Gregory and Stephen Le Carpentier.
:04:15. > :04:19.They were stopped by its security staff and charged with handling
:04:19. > :04:25.stolen goods. Roll has raised has seen a big
:04:25. > :04:28.increase in sales during the first half of this year. -- Rolls Royce.
:04:28. > :04:33.There was an increase in the delivery of cars between January
:04:33. > :04:37.and June of 64%. Most of us love to go shopping but
:04:37. > :04:42.more and more outlets on our High Streets of falling victim to the
:04:42. > :04:46.economic gloom and changing buying habits. We have discovered that one
:04:46. > :04:54.in 10 shops in the region is standing empty. Some of them have
:04:54. > :04:58.been vacant for more than a decade. Leigh Park has the second worst
:04:58. > :05:02.shopping centre in the country. Latest figures suggest that one in
:05:02. > :05:08.three shops are lying empty. The council disputes the findings, and
:05:08. > :05:11.says it is more like one in four. What is being done to help our High
:05:11. > :05:14.Streets and what do shoppers make of the situation?
:05:14. > :05:20.If you walk around the centre of Leigh Park, you get a graphic
:05:20. > :05:24.example of the way that the recession and changing shopping
:05:24. > :05:27.habits are having an impact on our High Streets. It is not just the
:05:28. > :05:32.big names that have gone in recent years. Many independent retailers
:05:32. > :05:39.have also disappeared. Retail experts say that empty shops have a
:05:39. > :05:44.negative impact on the High Street. So in the Havant area, they are
:05:44. > :05:49.using a �52,000 Government grant to cover up some vacant premises. This
:05:49. > :05:53.has invited plenty of comment. are nice, but it would be nice to
:05:53. > :05:57.have some shops. It would be nice to have some actual shops to bring
:05:57. > :06:01.people down here. There is nothing behind it. The council says it
:06:01. > :06:05.would like to have the power to reduce business rates for start-up
:06:05. > :06:08.ventures. The new Government is talking about giving us control
:06:08. > :06:12.over business rates. If they do that, we have the power to change
:06:12. > :06:16.business rates and encourage more people in. That is the sort of
:06:16. > :06:21.power that would be good for local authorities to have. You research
:06:21. > :06:25.out today shows that shopping habits are changing. -- new
:06:25. > :06:29.research. Having a new washing machine will not make you feel good
:06:29. > :06:32.every day, but having your hair done and your nails and a cup of
:06:33. > :06:36.coffee, that will. People are going for the feel-good factor, rather
:06:36. > :06:40.than building up additional things they possibly don't need in their
:06:40. > :06:45.houses. There is a general change taking place in retail, a retail
:06:45. > :06:50.shift, if you will, whereby people are buying more goods online. There
:06:50. > :06:57.is a need for less shop space. On the other hand, high rates are
:06:57. > :07:02.stunting economic growth. Some areas boast a national retailers
:07:02. > :07:05.and local independent shops, at but the career of High Streets is
:07:05. > :07:11.changing. The number of coffee shops and takeaways is rising, and
:07:11. > :07:15.there are fewer traditional butchers, Gross's and bakers. --
:07:15. > :07:21.greengrocer's. Are there any glimmers of hope?
:07:21. > :07:26.in Leigh Park some people are using the recession to their advantage.
:07:26. > :07:29.Businessmen are buying up premises at rock-bottom prices. Mike Jones
:07:29. > :07:34.owns a number of properties in the area. He has been actively looking
:07:34. > :07:42.for shops and flats put up for sale by property companies and investors.
:07:42. > :07:47.Now is the best time to buy. Prices have never been so low. The
:07:47. > :07:53.economics of what we are buying for just makes sense. With the right
:07:53. > :07:55.rents and the right businesses here, I think it could thrive again.
:07:55. > :07:59.Today the British Retail Consortium called for urgent Government action
:07:59. > :08:04.to revitalise our retail areas. They have said that action is
:08:04. > :08:07.needed to promote retail areas in the High Street. They also think
:08:07. > :08:12.that lower business rates are required to get people moving into
:08:12. > :08:18.businesses and they want ordinary things, like lower parking charges
:08:18. > :08:21.and to public transport. Thank you. -- cheap public
:08:21. > :08:25.transport. Hundreds of families that lost out
:08:25. > :08:30.when a skiing trip operator went bust are not likely to get the
:08:30. > :08:35.money back. Skiing Europe owes money portrait that did not happen.
:08:35. > :08:40.Reading School paid �80,000, and the Ferndown and probate schools in
:08:40. > :08:45.Dorset were also affected. The AM Trust that had insured the company
:08:45. > :08:51.revoked its policy. Walkers have staged a protest march
:08:51. > :08:57.because of the closure of a path at two to an academy development. The
:08:58. > :09:01.Midhurst Academy say they are working properly and are trying to
:09:01. > :09:05.find a new route. The organisation wants to hear from people that have
:09:05. > :09:11.used it for more than a decade. want to hear from people that use
:09:11. > :09:15.dipped from before 1999, as far back as we can go. -- that use it.
:09:16. > :09:20.We want to get the message across that it is a statutory right of way.
:09:20. > :09:27.We want to talk and find a compromise. Stay with us. Still to
:09:27. > :09:34.come: Find out why Alexis is scaling the heights tonight.
:09:34. > :09:41.certainly am. I am hanging around here in Dorset. Find out later what
:09:41. > :09:45.I got up to. That looks very scary!
:09:45. > :09:50.A controversial Planning application to develop a Restorick
:09:50. > :09:55.hospital on the South Downs is expected to be rejected. --
:09:55. > :09:58.historic hospital. Developers want to build a housing estate on the
:09:58. > :10:01.King Edward VII Hospital site near Midhurst. The planning authority
:10:01. > :10:11.will consider the pros will on Monday and they are expected to
:10:11. > :10:12.
:10:12. > :10:17.turn it down. HMS Navy has returned to base. She
:10:17. > :10:21.has been in Libya distributing medical supplies. Families lined
:10:21. > :10:26.the docks to welcome her home. In the South, something new has
:10:26. > :10:31.been discovered. It is called the pliosaur and it was the giant of
:10:31. > :10:35.the deep. This is the skull, and it alone is huge. It was found in
:10:35. > :10:39.rocks on the Dorset coast. Scientists have claimed it up to
:10:39. > :10:46.put it on display, but now the search is on to find the rest of
:10:46. > :10:49.this monster's body. A monster of our ancient seas. The
:10:49. > :10:54.pliosaur was the most fearsome predator that the Earth has seen.
:10:54. > :10:59.This skull belonged to one of the biggest ever found. When it rained
:10:59. > :11:04.the ocean 155 million years ago, this beast would have dwarfed
:11:04. > :11:10.everything else. Look at the size of it compared to me. Scientists
:11:10. > :11:15.estimate it would have measured 18 metres long. It would have devoured
:11:15. > :11:19.anything and everything in its path. I have looked at some of the papers
:11:19. > :11:23.of describe animals and it looks different. It is much more massive,
:11:23. > :11:33.much more robust. But to determine if it is something new is a whole
:11:33. > :11:36.study in its own right. I would not be surprised if in a year's time,
:11:36. > :11:42.we will see some more. The Dorset coast is a treasure trove of
:11:42. > :11:46.fossils. This skull was found by a local collector, who has collected
:11:46. > :11:51.many pieces. The body is missing but he would love to find it.
:11:51. > :11:54.would be amazing if that creature was still around. That would fill a
:11:55. > :12:00.hole Museum, it would be seriously massive. Mind-blowing. But never
:12:00. > :12:04.mind, we have one piece of it. without its body, this monster is
:12:04. > :12:08.ready to meet its public. It is going on display at Dorset County
:12:08. > :12:18.Museum in Dorchester, a rare chance to come face to face with a true
:12:18. > :12:20.
:12:20. > :12:23.The traditional holiday camp is alive and well on the South coast.
:12:23. > :12:33.What would a holiday camp beat without the friendly metres and
:12:33. > :12:41.gritters that smile their weight through the day? Today, our
:12:41. > :12:48.reporter has been training to be a fund staff. I think you would be
:12:48. > :12:55.quite good at this, Alexis. Thank you! Today was fun-filled. We did
:12:55. > :12:59.lots of activities. The entertainers are here all day to
:12:59. > :13:03.entertain the children and the families. It is quite a big effort.
:13:03. > :13:11.But this morning started off quite quietly. We entertained the
:13:11. > :13:18.children with the character breakfast. Our role is to enhance
:13:18. > :13:26.everybody's experience. We need to have big smiles. Give me a cuddle.
:13:26. > :13:32.That was huge. I would like a cuddle, now! Can I have one? Many
:13:32. > :13:42.years ago I worked for Hove and as a lifeguard and I am itching to get
:13:42. > :13:52.
:13:52. > :13:57.Stewart, one of the entertainers that I am working with, had his
:13:57. > :14:01.audition in January, 2009. remember saying to my mother when I
:14:01. > :14:04.was seven or eight that was what I wanted to do. My expectations of
:14:04. > :14:11.the job at the auditions was nothing compared to what if I
:14:11. > :14:14.thought it would be. I thought it would be as a lot different. The
:14:14. > :14:20.job was much more work than I thought and I have loved it more
:14:20. > :14:30.than I thought. Some facts and figures for you. We have been open
:14:30. > :14:35.
:14:35. > :14:45.There are 1000 caravans on the site. In peak season, 5000 guests stay at
:14:45. > :14:51.
:14:51. > :14:57.this park each week. 90,000 people Oh, my lord, it is windy. I'm
:14:58. > :15:03.really scared. How have I done? We have been really good. You have
:15:03. > :15:07.had a lot of energy and lots of fun. Really good. I just hope you have
:15:07. > :15:12.got a good weather report for the weekend.
:15:12. > :15:19.Will it be sunshine and showers? I will tell you shortly. But first, a
:15:19. > :15:22.few things you can get up to in the next few days.
:15:22. > :15:32.Four date of multicultural folk and jazz, including the Bollywood brass
:15:32. > :15:35.
:15:35. > :15:45.This year's Flower Festival as a theme of musical theatre. There's
:15:45. > :16:00.
:16:00. > :16:03.theme of musical theatre. There's in Worthing tomorrow. 400 dancers,
:16:03. > :16:08.plus visitors from America and plus visitors from America and
:16:08. > :16:12.Switzerland, will bring music and fun to the seafront.
:16:12. > :16:22.Lots of fun things to do if you want to get out this weekend. I
:16:22. > :16:32.
:16:32. > :16:36.will have a full forecast later. We have got Roger here for the
:16:36. > :16:41.sport. I want to do some shooting. One of those sports which is
:16:41. > :16:45.sometimes controversial, but when it is done properly, as it is where
:16:45. > :16:49.we have been today, it is fantastic and we are very good at it. We are
:16:49. > :16:54.going to meet a woman in a man's sport. Don't underestimate her,
:16:54. > :16:57.though. Emma Nuttall makes a living targeting criminals. Sights and
:16:57. > :17:02.targets play a key role in her sporting career as she prepares to
:17:03. > :17:12.make their senior debut for Great Britain in full bore rifle target
:17:12. > :17:17.shooting. -- make her seniors debut. Boys like to shoot guns, but it is
:17:17. > :17:21.not something that gales think of. Emma Nuttall is blazing a trial.
:17:21. > :17:26.She is only one of two women in the British team to shoot in Canada
:17:26. > :17:34.next month. You have got to be really precise
:17:34. > :17:38.with everything you do. There's de wind. Somebody can be doing
:17:38. > :17:42.opposite things and you have no idea what they are doing. It is a
:17:42. > :17:51.lot of skill involved. Sometimes a bit of luck.
:17:51. > :17:55.M I started as a cadet in Derbyshire. -- Emma Nuttall started.
:17:55. > :17:59.As a police officer, it could be useful for her career.
:17:59. > :18:04.Shooting is a hobby and it is my stress release at the end of the
:18:04. > :18:07.day. To do it all the time might be a bit much. But it is something I'm
:18:07. > :18:13.thinking about. She hit a perfect score when we
:18:13. > :18:16.were filming, almost. At best of the year. She will be hoping for
:18:17. > :18:23.similar alacrity when she makes her debut next month.
:18:23. > :18:26.-- similar accuracy. We wish her luck. In football,
:18:26. > :18:30.Southampton have signed Chelsea's former England Under 21
:18:30. > :18:35.international Jack Cork on a four- year contract. Now 22, he was on
:18:35. > :18:39.loan three years ago. Reading have completed the sale of their captain
:18:39. > :18:45.Matt Mills. He was discussing personal terms with Leicester City
:18:45. > :18:49.after the club's agreed a fee in the region of �5 million. And
:18:49. > :18:52.Herman Hreidarsson has agreed a new deal at Portsmouth.
:18:52. > :18:59.In cricket, the Sussex batsman Murray Goodwin has been suspended
:18:59. > :19:03.for one match. It relates to the Zimbabwe and's conduct in three
:19:03. > :19:07.matches between April and July, when he was alleged to have shown
:19:07. > :19:12.dissent. He was also ordered to pay five under pounds in costs. The
:19:12. > :19:21.match he is missing is tonight's Twenty20 fixture with Kent. It gets
:19:21. > :19:26.under way at 7:20pm. Hampshire also a -- are said to qualify if they
:19:26. > :19:30.beat Surrey. Finally, well done to a group of
:19:30. > :19:36.intrepid fundraisers who have just returned from an epic trip. For
:19:36. > :19:41.most people, cycling from Land's End to John o'Groats is enough, but
:19:41. > :19:45.these friends came back from the ride through the Three Peaks
:19:45. > :19:48.Challenge. They have raised �125,000 to provide sports
:19:48. > :19:52.equipment for worthy causes in the local area, and have done it to
:19:52. > :19:57.keep the memory of their friend alive after he was killed in a car
:19:57. > :20:01.crash five years ago. Well done to all the guys he went up the
:20:01. > :20:06.mountains but cycled all the way from Land's End to John O'Groats.
:20:06. > :20:12.It is nice to end of cycling. Bicycles are next thing. I have got
:20:12. > :20:19.a challenge for you. South West Trains has opened its first folding
:20:19. > :20:24.bike rental scheme. Have I got to build that? Yes. This is one of 80
:20:24. > :20:28.available. The interesting thing is that they are stored in a solar
:20:28. > :20:32.powered dock. What I want you to do, we have got five minutes to the end
:20:32. > :20:37.of the programme - I want you to put that together and to cycle in
:20:37. > :20:43.at the end of the programme. With a little help from his friends, Joe
:20:43. > :20:47.Campbell has been testing these out. Surrey's big on bikes. The cycle
:20:47. > :20:54.ranks at the station are proof of that. But it has been a long time
:20:54. > :20:56.since people have been throwing their backs on to the trains.
:20:56. > :21:00.-- throwing their bicycles on to the trains.
:21:00. > :21:04.We will accommodate bikes as best as we can. We think we have got the
:21:04. > :21:09.balance right. That is what this is about. While
:21:09. > :21:15.those heading for London can use a so-called Boris back, in Guildford,
:21:15. > :21:18.things are not so straightforward. You get your bicycle out and this
:21:18. > :21:25.is what you are confronted with. I have never ridden a collapsible
:21:25. > :21:29.bike like this. Mark, I am going to need some help. How easy is it?
:21:29. > :21:34.It is very easy. Released that and raised the saddle to approximately
:21:34. > :21:38.where you would like it. The bicycles may take a bit longer
:21:38. > :21:45.to get going but they beat the Boris bicycles on higher costs.
:21:45. > :21:49.Folded up, you will have no problem to take them on the train.
:21:49. > :21:52.Guildford cyclists still have their reservations, they have.
:21:52. > :22:00.They are OK for a short distance. They are not good for long
:22:00. > :22:03.distances. You have still got a lot of weight to carry on the train.
:22:03. > :22:09.use my bicycle for skate park, so having my folding bike is a bit
:22:09. > :22:13.much. Those behind this game say -- the
:22:13. > :22:19.scheme say it is not for regular riders.
:22:19. > :22:23.It is for those who are thinking of getting a bicycle. We are saying,
:22:23. > :22:27.you can try it before you buy it. All I have done is take the bicycle
:22:27. > :22:32.up and down the car park. But I would not be worried about using it
:22:32. > :22:38.on the road. But I think I need a bit more practice in getting it out
:22:38. > :22:42.of the locker and being ready to use it.
:22:42. > :22:47.That was a first! I have never seen him on a bicycle.
:22:47. > :22:54.How you getting on, Roger? Look at this!
:22:54. > :22:59.Not going well, it is it? It is quite simple, I'm told. Let's
:22:59. > :23:02.move on to the weather. Look at this first. It is the result of
:23:02. > :23:07.extreme weather in Bognor Regis this morning. Residents are
:23:07. > :23:13.describing it as a mini tornado. Houses in Lindon and Dorset Road
:23:13. > :23:15.and Highland and Murina Avenue were damaged. One family watched as
:23:16. > :23:21.their travelling through through the air, landing in a neighbour's
:23:21. > :23:27.garden. -- their trampoline. We saw the twist to come into the
:23:27. > :23:37.garden and it blew all the toys around the garden. -- we saw the
:23:37. > :23:42.twister. It was like happening in slow motion.
:23:42. > :23:52.Extraordinary. Let's join Alexis now.
:23:52. > :23:53.
:23:53. > :23:58.So we had what they call a mini It is quite breezy here. But
:23:58. > :24:07.tornado was confirmed by the Met Office as being genuine. It is
:24:07. > :24:13.rapidly rising and is sending, causing the winds. This is the --
:24:13. > :24:18.is rapidly rising and descending air, causing the winds. The showers
:24:18. > :24:25.will continue for the first part of the night. One or two Macro clear
:24:25. > :24:29.spells, but a lot of cloud around. Temperatures will stay mild, and
:24:29. > :24:35.expect lows of 13 Celsius. It will be a breezy start to the Day
:24:35. > :24:40.tomorrow. Expect conditions to be around 13 or 15 Celsius. There will
:24:40. > :24:44.be some sunny spells. Cloud will break up. A risk of some showers
:24:44. > :24:48.will be mainly light and well scattered. The showers will become
:24:48. > :24:54.less frequent and the sunshine will make more than appearance. More
:24:54. > :24:58.sunshine than today and highs tomorrow of around 20 or 21 Celsius.
:24:58. > :25:03.So, feeling pleasantly warm in the sunshine. A bit more cloud in the
:25:03. > :25:08.afternoon. Tomorrow night there's a risk of some showers but it is a
:25:08. > :25:16.fine, doesn't end to the day. A dry night for almost an temperatures
:25:16. > :25:20.and that the skies will be a touch lower than tonight. Still in double
:25:21. > :25:26.figures for most. Sunday daytime, probably a better day for the
:25:26. > :25:30.weekend to get out and about. A decent amount of sunshine. A chance
:25:30. > :25:40.of some showers but most places will stay dry Andy showers will be
:25:40. > :25:44.
:25:44. > :25:49.light. Here is the summary. -- dry The winds will be light. Back to
:25:49. > :25:55.the studio. Thank you very much! We set the
:25:55. > :26:01.challenge. Here he is. He has built the bike. How good is that? Oh,
:26:01. > :26:06.goodness me! Was it easy? As long as you pull it, it is quick
:26:06. > :26:10.to put up. In the rain, at the station, you want to get it up