19/12/2016 South Today

Welcome to South Today, I'm Allen Sinclair.

On the programme tonight: Campaigners fighting to free

a British mother jailed in Iran are at Downing Street -

hoping their voices will carry to politicians with the power

Makeshift sea defences that were supposed to last

the winter are washed away - leaving waterfront homes

And we start this week on a fairly wet note, cooler by the weekend with

the chance of Gables. A protest has been held close

to Downing Street this evening, over the continued detention

of a British woman in Iran. Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe's

ordeal began in April - arrested at the airport

as she was returning She'd been travelling

with her two-year-old daughter Gabriella -

whose passport was taken away. She's now being cared

for by relatives in Iran. In September, Nazanin was sentenced

to five years in prison - but the charges against her

remain a secret. Her husband - Richard Ratcliffe -

who's from Hampshire - has been campaigning

for his wife's release. Our Political Editor Peter Henley

was at this evening's protest and sent this report

from Westminster. It's now 260 days since Nazanin

Zaghari Ratcliffe was taken into She has now been convicted

and sentenced to five years and we understand she is in solitary

confinement, a long way from a prison in Iran to Downing Street

this evening when we understand members of her family

were singing carols, trying to keep their spirits up

and prevent positive aspects to A lot of it revolves

around trying to influence governments,

particularly the British government to put more pressure

on the Iranian government, and Nazanin's husband Richard

believes they are not doing enough. The government is

doing more and more but not enough and they

need to keep going. There are things they could be

doing, they have never criticised the way she has been treated,

so we'll keep going, but we are grateful for the small

things they are doing. People in Hampshire

have been busy as well. A report on the letter writing

campaign. Today

is a peaceful protest against a frustrating

process. It is a message of solidarity

and is in conjunction At the moment, she is not

very well at all. She has lost a lot of weight,

a lot of strength, a lot of hair. She is a British citizen

and that is what we can understand, it feels

like she has been left to hang out to dry for

the last nine months with very little

British consular support. I understand the reasons behind that

but it still feels like she is a British citizen and it is a British

child and we feel she should be home We were not expecting this much

support and it helps us to drive this campaign as without local

support the campaign wouldn't get Nazanin's 38th birthday

is on Boxing Day, one that is likely to be behind bars unless

the family's one Christmas wish 26,000 letters now have

been sent to that prison in Iran and many tweets,

some of which Nazanin got to see on That has cheered her up,

and one I think we'll cheer the whole campaign up,

I got a chance to speak to the Prime Minister tonight and asked,

will she be thinking about Nazanin She said she would be

thinking of her and all the other people who are in very

difficult situations in the world, and she said the government would be

keeping up pressure on the Iranian regime, in the best way they think

they can to get Nazanin freed. A serious case review

is underway after a Portsmouth woman was found guilty

of murdering her 19-day-old son. Nicola Brown was also

convicted of causing grievous bodily harm to baby Jake,

who died two years ago, after suffering a serious head

injury and multiple fractured ribs. Her husband, Jason Brown,

was found not guilty of allowing As Steve Humphrey reports,

the family were known Baby Jake suffered a series

of injuries during his short life. Today, his mother Nicola Brown

was convicted of murdering her baby son and causing fractured ribs

on previous occasions. The boy's father Jason Brown left

court after being found not guilty of causing or allowing the death

of a child. As the jury returned its verdict,

Nicola Brown shouted repeatedly from the dock,

she said, "I didn't do it, I did not do it, they have

made a huge mistake. I hope this haunts you

until the day you die." Senior detectives say

it was a difficult case. It has been a complex investigation

piecing together the short It is important for us

to establish who has been The family was living

at Agincourt Road in Portsmouth. During the trial, Nicola Brown,

on the right, described how the lights went out in her baby's

died when she was feeding him. Baby Jake died later

that day in hospital. The jury was told Mrs Brown had

anxiety issues, was taking antidepressants and had been

in denial about her pregnancy. The court was told social

services had been alerted He had been deemed at risk

but not at immediate harm. Midwives visited the family twice

but no concerns were raised. The Portsmouth Safeguarding Children

Board is now conducting The judge told her she would be

sentenced in the New Year after a psychiatric

report has been prepared. Steve Humphrey, BBC South Today,

at Winchester Crown Court. Sussex Police says it's

investigating six separate reports of historical sex abuse at football

clubs in the county. None of the claims relate

to league sides Brighton The force says the offences

were allegedly committed by six Across the UK there have been

reports of abuse relating Further strike action meant it's

been another difficult day for commuters unable to travel

by Southern Rail. Another ten days of action

are already scheduled. It's the most significant disruption

to trains for 20 years. But the Prime Minister today said

she won't consider proposed new anti-strike legislation,

and aims to focus instead Beachfront homes are again at risk

at Pagham in West Sussex after sea defences -

designed to protect them over Residents are worried that any

further high tides or bad weather They've been waiting for more

than a year for a planning decision over more effective defences,

as Sean Killick reports. But it was a different

picture here on Friday. Just days after the local

council put 10,000 cubic metres of shingle down,

a tidal surge coincided That has resulted in the loss

of the majority of shingle that had been put to increase the depth

to the beach crest. They will be concerned because this

was a defence for the winter. We have two very high tides

over the coming months. That will be the protection that

has been washed away. I'm not aware of any other emergency

work being undertaken. The district council says it

will undertake work as resources allow and it has carried out

significant works in recent years including building a rock

revetement, and it believes the work carried out last week reduced

the effect of the tidal surge. We had the tidal surge come

through two metres above normal. It came as far as the edge

of the vegetation which is Pagham parish council wants to cut

through a shingle bank which has appeared in recent years,

altering the currents, and the council believes

causing beach erosion. Whatever happens with the planning

application, work won't be getting underway in the next couple

of months which means the residents in the seafront properties

here will remain vulnerable to the worst of the storms

for the remainder of this winter. Sean Killick, BBC

South Today, Pagham. We're back tomorrow

with bulletins in BBC Breakfast - and there's more through the night

on the BBC news channel. Right now, Alexis Green is here

with our regional weather forecast Thank you. We are looking for the

weather for the week ahead up to and including the Christmas weekend. We

start an HLA note with some rain and drizzle at times, sunny spells as

well and a strong wind, especially towards the weekend. For some,

clearing skies and we may have a touch of frost with the temperature

falling to freezing or just above. Laws of 3- sex and the winds light,

so the possibility of light rain or patchy drizzle. One showers

especially along the south coast on the Isle of White, some may drift

inland but generally dry with the temperature reaching a high of five.

Quite chilly out in the open but the wind will be liked. Tomorrow night

we start on a dry note work through the early hours, the clouds will

thicken from the west and we see outbreaks of light and patchy are

moving in from the West with the temperature tomorrow falling to

three Celsius, so a chilly start and the wet start with this band of rain

which will clear Easter words and a dry interlude with some sunny spells

before the next batch of rain arrives. Fragmented rain and very

patchy in nature with the high of five. Warmer temperatures on

Thursday through the course of Thursday we see this Reg of high

pressure building in with the chance of rain and showers at times but

drying out through the course of the day. The next batch of rain on the

way with this low pressure moving in on Thursday and into the early hours

of Friday, Friday see some strong winds and the winds increased

through the course of the day and coming wet Friday night into the

early hours of Saturday morning, so a dry start and some brighter spells

but the rain will push on from the West and the wind increases in

strength. The chance of gales for the south coast. Looking to the

weekend, called with The rest of the weekend, some rain

around, windy, but with dry and bright spells.

Heavy weather is brewing, it will not reach us just yet. It will take

a good few days before the stormy weather reaches us. At the moment,

it's just potential, nothing is certain, but it will be different to

what we've had over the last few weeks, it's been so calm. We have a

jet stream raging out of North America making a beeline for the UK.

It