:00:00. > :00:00.continuing coverage throughout the night
:00:00. > :00:00.Hello, and welcome to South Today. I'm Edward Sault.
:00:07. > :00:08.The top stories this evening - support for Billy.
:00:09. > :00:10.More than ?500,000 is raised for this 17-year-old
:00:11. > :00:13.from Surrey, who's had both legs amputated
:00:14. > :00:18.Police investigate the horrific killing
:00:19. > :00:30.They say it could be linked to others around the UK.
:00:31. > :00:33.It is unimaginable what happened to such a dear, sweet
:00:34. > :00:40.And the not so smart card ticketing system
:00:41. > :00:44.that's millions of pounds over budget
:00:45. > :00:47.He was tipped as a Formula One star of the future,
:00:48. > :00:49.but in a split second his life changed forever.
:00:50. > :00:51.17-year-old Billy Monger from Charlwood in Surrey was racing
:00:52. > :00:55.in last weekend's British Formula four championships when he crashed
:00:56. > :01:01.His injuries were so bad he's had both his lower legs amputated.
:01:02. > :01:04.But now an online appeal for him has already raised more
:01:05. > :01:10.than ?500,000. Lewis Coombes reports.
:01:11. > :01:12.It started as just another race for a young driver
:01:13. > :01:19.This footage from Billy's on-board camera
:01:20. > :01:23.He was trapped for 90 minutes after colliding
:01:24. > :01:26.with another Formula 4 car, which appeared to have
:01:27. > :01:35.He has actually had the lower leg, just before his knee
:01:36. > :01:38.He has actually had the lower leg, just below his knee
:01:39. > :01:40.on his right leg, removed, and then his left leg
:01:41. > :01:44.it is halfway up his thigh, where it has been removed.
:01:45. > :01:45.It is obviously devastating news for us
:01:46. > :01:48.all, but I think the main thing is to keep a brave
:01:49. > :01:55.he seems to be doing well and holding up well.
:01:56. > :01:57.Those in charge at Donington, where the incident took
:01:58. > :02:00.place, say the accident will now be examined in full, but given a strong
:02:01. > :02:04.safety record, racing continued today at Thruxton, with cars
:02:05. > :02:08.displaying stickers carrying Billy's name.
:02:09. > :02:12.I cannot remember another serious accident of that nature for
:02:13. > :02:17.many, many years, and given the number of race miles that are
:02:18. > :02:20.completed, you know, it has the safest record
:02:21. > :02:27.of any racing series, bar none, I would suggest.
:02:28. > :02:29.News of Billy's accident has echoed around
:02:30. > :02:33.An online appeal to raise funds for his
:02:34. > :02:36.rehabilitation has raised over ?500,000
:02:37. > :02:41.likes of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton pledging their support.
:02:42. > :02:45.One of the few people that you will always know will light up
:02:46. > :02:49.He is an incredibly personable young guy, incredibly
:02:50. > :02:52.passionate about motorsport, and seeing the next generation of kids
:02:53. > :02:58.Looking after a lot of kids from eight years old with
:02:59. > :03:00.go-karts, so he is incredibly passionate about about what he
:03:01. > :03:03.does, and he just loves the sport.
:03:04. > :03:06.And to see that happen to such a lovely guy is such a
:03:07. > :03:10.But, at the same time, you can see the
:03:11. > :03:13.incredible support he has got, and that is testament to just how
:03:14. > :03:16.Tom Ingram, a close friend of Billy, ending that report,
:03:17. > :03:19.Now, all the money raised for this trust
:03:20. > :03:22.fund is going to help Billy and his family on that
:03:23. > :03:24.undoubtedly long road of recovery and rehabilitation.
:03:25. > :03:27.Next month here, at Thruxton, each of the
:03:28. > :03:29.32 British touring cars are going to carry messages
:03:30. > :03:31.of support for Billy on their bonnet.
:03:32. > :03:34.It is clear he is a popular young man in the world of
:03:35. > :03:42.Police say confidence in reporting sexual crimes could be behind
:03:43. > :03:45.the sharp increase in reported rapes in Sussex and Surrey.
:03:46. > :03:48.Figures have more than doubled in four years.
:03:49. > :03:51.In 2016 there were over 1,000 reports in Sussex,
:03:52. > :03:58.Surrey Police say they've seen a 30% rise over
:03:59. > :04:03.There were more than 500 reports last year.
:04:04. > :04:07.This rape victim - who doesn't want to be identified -
:04:08. > :04:10.says it's encouraging more people are coming forward
:04:11. > :04:18.Although it is going to be a very gruelling two or three days of
:04:19. > :04:21.sitting there, giving evidence, you know that you will have helped
:04:22. > :04:28.and that, to me, was really, really important.
:04:29. > :04:30.But some charities in the South say the conviction rate
:04:31. > :04:36.I would like to see a shortening of the timescale
:04:37. > :04:43.The people who start in the process are the ones who may well dropout
:04:44. > :04:46.The people who start in the process are the ones who may well drop out
:04:47. > :04:50.And unless you can keep someone safe during that process, mentally, then
:04:51. > :04:54.they are not going to go forward physically to stand in a courtroom
:04:55. > :04:59.A man questioned on suspicion of arson
:05:00. > :05:01.following a fire at a stately home in Dorset
:05:02. > :05:03.has been released under investigation.
:05:04. > :05:05.The blaze at Parnham House near Beaminster broke out on Saturday,
:05:06. > :05:11.A Roman coffin on display in Prince Charles' urban development
:05:12. > :05:14.in Dorset has been badly damaged by vandals.
:05:15. > :05:18.Police say the 1,600-year-old sarcophagus in Poundbury
:05:19. > :05:23.Police in Portsmouth are investigating the horrific
:05:24. > :05:27.killing of a cat in Southsea over the Easter weekend.
:05:28. > :05:30.They're linking it with two other similar attacks on cats in Hampshire
:05:31. > :05:34.and the Isle of Wight, and with many more attacks nationally believed
:05:35. > :05:38.to be the work of one individual known as the UK cat killer.
:05:39. > :05:50.Jo Kent is in Southsea tonight. Jo, what happened?
:05:51. > :05:53.It was outside this shop that Poppy, a two-year-old cat and much loved
:05:54. > :06:02.her body dumped across the road for passers-by to find.
:06:03. > :06:05.It's just yards from her home and it is believed that it happened
:06:06. > :06:08.between 10.30 at night and 1.30 in the morning from Easter Sunday
:06:09. > :06:11.Her death is devastating for her owners, but all the more
:06:12. > :06:15.so because of the horrific nature of how it happened.
:06:16. > :06:18.She was just such a friendly little thing, and I've
:06:19. > :06:21.We would come down the road, we live in a small cul-de-sac,
:06:22. > :06:25.and Poppy would run up to greet us when we were on our way back from
:06:26. > :06:29.At the moment, it is very difficult to sleep, because you
:06:30. > :06:33.Last night, I could not leave the baby in
:06:34. > :06:34.the nursery, because I just felt unsafe.
:06:35. > :06:37.It is unimaginable what happened to such a dear, sweet
:06:38. > :06:47.Well, initially the person who found Poppy's body was told it
:06:48. > :06:51.wasn't really a police matter but it soon emerged that this may not be
:06:52. > :06:56.an isolated case and is probably linked to a number of other killings
:06:57. > :06:58.into which there is already a police investigation.
:06:59. > :07:02.In the South, Hampshire Police are now linking it to two other cases,
:07:03. > :07:05.one also in Portsmouth at the start of April,
:07:06. > :07:08.and another in Sandown in the Isle of Wight last summer.
:07:09. > :07:14.So, what do we know about the 'UK cat killer'?
:07:15. > :07:17.Killings were first reported in 2015 and were largely happening
:07:18. > :07:22.Now it's believed there are more than 200 cases.
:07:23. > :07:24.The deaths are similar, with most of the cats,
:07:25. > :07:29.There's a reward of ?10,000 being offered for information
:07:30. > :07:33.The concern is that this individual could move
:07:34. > :07:39.on from killing and mutilating cats to harming humans.
:07:40. > :07:41.In, the meantime Poppy's owners are urging other owners
:07:42. > :07:48.It was meant to offer cheap rail tickets to passengers in the South,
:07:49. > :07:50.but a smart card scheme designed to replace paper tickets has run
:07:51. > :07:52.millions of pounds over budget and failed to deliver,
:07:53. > :07:59.Our transport correspondent Paul Clifton has more.
:08:00. > :08:03.The idea was to help passengers move to smart cards, including
:08:04. > :08:08.flexible season tickets for people who commute part-time.
:08:09. > :08:14.The original cost was put at ?45 million, but the final bill
:08:15. > :08:18.was ?54 million, plus a further ?66 million to make London ticket
:08:19. > :08:24.machines read mainline railway smart cards.
:08:25. > :08:27.The business case relied on 95% of season ticket holders
:08:28. > :08:36.The Government has failed on their 2015 manifesto commitment,
:08:37. > :08:39.they have failed on delivering a promise back in 2013 to deliver
:08:40. > :08:42.smart and flexible ticketing, and at the same time,
:08:43. > :08:46.they have wasted an astonishing amount of taxpayers' money
:08:47. > :08:50.on a smart and flexible ticketing scheme that has delivered
:08:51. > :08:57.11 train operators were to offer smart cards.
:08:58. > :09:02.Only one offers a flexible part-time option.
:09:03. > :09:04.Southern and South West Trains have done
:09:05. > :09:08.The back office functions to make these work
:09:09. > :09:11.do not rely on the Government system.
:09:12. > :09:14.Train companies have fallen a decade behind the bus industry,
:09:15. > :09:18.the London Underground has long switched to contactless bank cards,
:09:19. > :09:23.yet nearly all rail commuters still use paper tickets.
:09:24. > :09:29.The world's strongest man was in Southampton today,
:09:30. > :09:35.Zydrunas Savickas was flipping tyres with Aaron Page from Southampton.
:09:36. > :09:38.It'll be one of the most difficult disciplines in the Ultimate
:09:39. > :09:44.Strongman World Series UK qualifier being held at St Mary's in June.
:09:45. > :09:46.That's all from the South Today news team this evening.
:09:47. > :09:48.We're back tomorrow with bulletins in BBC Breakfast, and there's more
:09:49. > :09:53.Here with our regional weather forecast is Alexis.
:09:54. > :10:01.Through the course of tonight we are expecting some cloud, it should be
:10:02. > :10:06.mainly dry with the odd spot of rain, but where we do have clearing
:10:07. > :10:12.skies, there is the chance of some mist and fog patches. Temperatures
:10:13. > :10:19.will drop bullied drop around to 5 degrees. Tomorrow is a milder day
:10:20. > :10:22.than today, a lot of cloud, some brighter spells here and there.
:10:23. > :10:28.There will be the odd isolated shower. Temperatures may be up to 15
:10:29. > :10:32.Celsius with fairly light winds. Further cloud expected tomorrow
:10:33. > :10:36.night, staying milder until the latter part of Saturday when this
:10:37. > :10:42.cold weather front will slip southwards. Saturday will start on a
:10:43. > :10:45.fairly cloudy note, you can see this area of high pressure starts to
:10:46. > :10:50.build in from the Atlantic, settling things down. On Saturday night, we
:10:51. > :10:55.may have quite a hard frost to start Sunday morning, and another frost
:10:56. > :11:01.possible on Sunday night as well. A chillier feel over the weekend,
:11:02. > :11:02.tomorrow is the milder day with highs of 15 Celsius. More
:11:03. > :11:06.week for much of the UK and for more about that and the UK outlook, Helen
:11:07. > :11:14.Willetts. The sunshine make such a difference
:11:15. > :11:18.this time of year, only 12 or so degrees under the cloud today but 19
:11:19. > :11:23.in eastern Scotland not far away from St Andrews. Also in north-east
:11:24. > :11:27.England, where we had the majority of the decent sunshine. Even under
:11:28. > :11:31.cloud it was dry for the most part. We have this week whether forgiving
:11:32. > :11:33.showers in the south. This weather front starting to pep up in the
:11:34. > :11:34.North, it'll change