08/03/2012 Spotlight

Unlawful killing. The verdict on the death of Corporal Stephen

Curley, killed in Afghanistan. my thoughts are with Stephen. He

leaves a lasting legacy and a beautiful sun hat and he will

always be remembered by family and friends. Good evening. Corporal

Curley's widow also paid tribute to the latest soldiers who have died

in Afghanistan. Also tonight. Charged with breaching the Official

Secrets Act. A submariner has appeared in court after being

arrested in Plymouth. On a drugs raid. Find out what happened when

police broke into this flat. And we'll be live at a special

screening of a Hollywood film about the family who bought a Devon zoo.

First tonight... A coroner has recorded a verdict of unlawful

killing on a Royal Marine from Exeter who was killed in an

explosion in Afghanistan. Corporal Stephen Curley died in May 2010. An

inquest into his death heard that he was killed by an improvised

explosive device in the Sangin province. The inquest had been

adjourned from last year for further inquiries. Corporal

Curley's wife has been critical of the time that it takes for inquests

to be heard. From the hearing in Exeter, David George reports. 26

year-old Corporal Stephen Curley was killed by an improvised

explosive device in the Sangin Province on 26th May 1920 10. He

had been on foot patrol designed to reassure people. In the first part

of the inquest, seven months ago, in August, the coroner heard

details from the Royal Marines intelligence officer, Captain

Rogers. He is on the left of the screen and said that a local

teenager had confessed to setting off the explosive that killed

Corporal Curley. The inquest was adjourned while further inquiries

were made. Today, captain Rogers said he was in the interview room

when the boy admitted that he was the trigger man. Captain Rogers

said that although the teenager had been unable to identify the man, it

was reasonable to this end he had initiated the explosive. Thus the

whole of the commando unit said it was extremely unusual to have the

name of a perpetrator in the Sangin Province. The coroner read out some

of the details of further inquiries carried out in Afghanistan by the

Royal Navy's Special Investigation branch's. It discovered that the

boy had been convicted of destroying infrastructure and

killing innocent people and was serving five years in prison. But

as there were no details of the dates are locations, investigators

had been unable to definitely confirm the teenager had set off

the explosion that killed Stephen Crainey. Today, the coroner said

that Corporal Curley's injuries were catastrophic and his death was

instant. Dr Elizabeth EoN and recorded a verdict of unlawful

killing. She said that coroners courts were prohibited from naming

perpetrators. It has been 21 months since Stephen Kernan died and his

wife once inquests to be spent up. I hope that in the future military

inquests will be expedited so that the time between death-in-service

and the inquest is shortened. By thoughts are with Stephen today. He

lays a lasting legacy and our beautiful son and will always be

remembered. Corporal Curley's commanding officer said he was the

best of his generation - bright, fit, charismatic and supremely

brave. One of many tributes from his colleagues, family and friends.

A report on the inquest into the death of Corporal Stephen Curley. A

Plymouth submariner has appeared in court charged with breaching the

Official Secrets Act. 29-year-old Edward Devenney is accused of

disclosing information to a foreign country. It follows an

investigation involving M15. Spotlight's Clare Casson reports.

Arriving at Westminster Magistrates Court this afternoon, covered by a

blue blanket in the back of the car, 29 year-old Edward Devenney. He is

a submariner in the Royal Navy based at HMS Drake in Plymouth, but

originally from County Tyrone. He was arrested in Plymouth on Tuesday

morning before being charged last night after a number of searches

were carried out in connection with the rest. Edward Devenney is

accused after indicating information on January the 28th

which could be deemed to be useful to an enemy of the state. No

further details of the exact nature of the offences have been revealed.

The Official Secrets Act says that a member of the security and

intelligence services is guilty of an offence if without lawful

authority, he discloses any information, document or article

relating to the security or intelligence which is or has been

in his possession by virtue of his position as a member of those

services. In court, he did not enter a plea and was remanded in

custody to appear at the Old Bailey on June 14th. Proposals for a �1

billion new town on the edge of Plymouth have been given the go-

ahead by the city's planners. Sherford will provide more than

5,000 homes and thousands of jobs for the area. But opponents to the

scheme say there's no reason to build on green fields and there's

no case for this many homes. Spotlight's John Ayres has more. A

new town at Sherford has been planned for over a decade and along

the way it has faced strong opposition. Campaigners believe it

is too large, it will damage the area and it isn't necessary. We say

that people in Plymouth need additional homes. Do they? What is

the evidence? We have spare places in schools, in GP practices and all

that will be worsened by building these houses. If Plymouth moved to

them. I don't think they will, I do not think Plymouth people can

afford to. This is the area in question, today it passed its last

hurdle with the promise of affordable homes and new jobs. This

development of 5500 homes straddles two districts, the South Hams and

Plymouth and the majority are in the South Hams and that council

already had given permission subject to Plymouth agreeing today.

It means that �1 billion worth of a project is ready to go. There is a

lot of work be capped -- before we can commence but this is a major

step. New planning rules Press Council's to look at building in

towns before cutting up greenfield sites. But can it planners believe

that in this case, they had no option. We need more homes and jobs

and we need to get the population up to around the 300,000 mark

because we're told that is when big investment welcome and although we

do have prime sites and Plymouth, they are not nearly enough to

achieve this figure. They have six months to agree the fine print and

signed the contract. Still to come... Bringing home the horrors

of Auschwitz - the South West students witnessing the

concentration camp for themselves. It is pure shock, you read about

this in textbooks but nothing prepares you for coming here and

seeing this. A series of police raids are taking place across

Plymouth this week in a bid to clear up outstanding crimes in the

city. BBC Spotlight cameras followed one raid this morning as

officers from Operation Endurance targeted a property in the

Devonport area of city. Matt Pengelly watched as they battered

their way in. Just after 9:30am on a sunny day but these police

officers are about to ruin someone's morning. Police have been

told there is drug-use and anti- social behaviour going on in this

flat so they are reading it. Operation insurance. Previously,

they have seized heroin, methadone, cannabis and mephadrone. They have

also made eight arrests. This isn't about clearing of statistics. This

is about responding to wishes that the community have and we think

this is important and that is the message I would send out. When the

public come forward with information, we will act

appropriately. Back at the flat, the police dogs to set a small

amount of what is thought to be cannabis and some out of date

methadone. Relations with the couple are surprisingly cordial.

They even support the operation. They will finally get to the big

fish. At the moment they're just getting the little fish but

eventually they will get to the big fish and once they get to that,

they will take it off the market. No more drug lords for these users.

No users, you cannot use, less crime. It isn't just about them

getting results. The man is arrested on minor drugs offences

and later released on bail. This rate may not have resulted in a

large seizure but the police say it counts as a success. Covert cameras

are being used by Devon and Cornwall police to try to stamp out

the growing threat to the South West's birds of prey. Last year,

four goshawks, three peregrines and a buzzard were poisoned in Devon

and Cornwall. But now it's hoped this new initiative will halt

further attacks. Adrian Campbell reports. This is a kind of habitat

where you are most likely to find a goshawk. One of the South West's

most impressive birds of prey. For the first time, officers from Devon

and Cornwall police working with the RSPB and others are using a

large number of small cameras which will be triggered by criminals who

disturb nests or poison the birds. Tell me about the camera. This is a

camera which the Preservation Society were able to fund, motion

activated, they work at night and have a capability of 30 days and

when any animal or person moves past, it will activate and take

video or still images. The cameras are discreet, relatively cheap and

effective. The RSPB says that last year was particularly bad for

poisoning incidents. With the tax and Devon and Cornwall. It is hoped

this initiative with 10 cameras at numerous locations will deter

future attacks. One of the big issues with wildlife crime is

evidence. Finding out who has done this. We need to collect evidence

and this is one step in the right direction. We need to find out who

these people are. Police have to seek special authority to use

cameras in this way. They say the information gathered is aimed

purely at stopping bird crime and there was little point in criminals

trying to seek out and destroy the cameras. The majority of the

cameras are wireless so they been back the images to other computers

so even though the offender might have the camera, we still have the

images to use. Criminals caught face up to six months in jail or

thousands of pounds in fines. There's been a sharp rise in

burglaries and car break-ins in Plymouth. The latest figures show a

rise of more than a quarter between April and last month. Cornwall has

failed in its bid to be a base for the world's first Green Investment

Bank. The Eden Project and Cornwall Council had submitted a joint bid

to base the new bank at the biomes. But the Government has chosen

London and Edinburgh instead. A call has been made today for much

better train services for the South West. But it runs the risk of being

drowned out by simultaneous noises from government about saving

billions on the cost of Britain's railways. Neil Gallacher reports on

the latest demands for improvements to the region's rail service. The

south-west will soon need a new real deal to be struck because the

franchises coming to an end. Devon County minutes Bush today to ship

that service. It wants to achieve short-term mainline journeys by

cutting out some smaller stocks. It also wants a train that gets down

from London earlier in the morning. I don't think it is acceptable that

you cannot get down until 11:30am, that is half of the day lost.

is another one in terms of better timetables to enable faster trains

and there are some stops further up the line that we can safely take

out. And still deliver excellent service. Devon isn't persuaded that

some trains should speed through any of its own stops, like Totnes.

But all this debate is a sideshow compared to the overall government

real plan announced today, Co incidentally, in Westminster.

Ministers want to take �3.5 billion of annual costs out of railways.

Hard to see how pruning back here we sit easily with the South West's

better train services. Some think the case for improving services

should be based simply on our need for economic development. It may

well be that we do not necessarily have the right numbers down here in

terms of volume but we are a region of the UK and Europe were the

Government aspired to raise the levels of wealth to that of other

regions. If that is to be achieved, we have to have the infrastructure.

Basic economics. The new franchise for the Paddington mainline service

and the branch lines and local trains will run from next April.

About 200 sixth formers from the South West have travelled to Poland

to see Auschwitz for themselves. More than one million people lost

their lives at the concentration camp during the Second World War -

victims of Nazi persecution. The government-funded visit was

organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust, which hopes

youngsters will pass on lessons they learn. Simon Clemison went

with them. Here's the first of two special reports. Some of these

teenagers now live in families where grandparents do not remember

the war. There is no one to recount the stories first hand. Others have

relatives to pass on memories. In Poland, they will return to the

1940s. And the scene of the biggest loss of life in human history.

will be really useful, putting things into perspective. In my own

life, everything seems trivial and it will teach a lot about humanity.

What we're capable of. Will your view of the world changed from 6

o'clock in the morning until tonight? I think it will, it will

hit me hard. This is more than a school visit, the idea is that they

will touch the past but connect with the future also. The past here

stretches back before the horrors of Auschwitz. We are travelling to

the town. This cemetery was not built for the victims of the

Holocaust. It was built for people who died before the concentration

camps opened, evidence of Jewish life. Life which was so blown apart

by Nazi Germany that just one Jewish man remained. He is now

buried here also. They were individuals, families, communities.

But the Jewish population was about to expand and not for the good.

Lesley was taken from his home in Romania, where he spent his chanted.

I queued up for three hours to get this. There we are. It took to 3-0.

It took Lesley 60 years to talk openly. He was separated from

members of his family, who he never saw again. They told me, can't you

see the gas chambers? I did not know. He says, they are gassing

them. People lost their shoes? was looking for them because I

thought if I may be would find my brother's shoes, and in my mind I

always was thinking, perhaps they survived. When I saw the shoes, I

knew he would not have survived. Today, they walk the path that he

walked, trying to understand not just how many were killed but to

beware. And death toll of 1 million, perhaps just as hard to take in as

the death toll of one person. They also cast shadows, stepping away

from another powder shoes. Pure shock, you read about this and

textbooks but nothing prepares you for coming here and seeing this.

What does it make you think? just brings the human impact in

front of you. That actually happened. You cannot comprehend

this. It is unbelievable. A guard said to one prisoner that even if

he did survive, no one would ever believe him. It is an unbelievable

place. And sometimes the closer you get, the harder it is to comprehend.

Tomorrow night, Simon will be following the pupils to the

deserted Birkenau camp, where they held a service for the victims of

the Holocaust. Up to 100,000 trees are being cut down in East Devon to

ensure they don't catch sudden oak death. They were earmarked for

felling next year, but as John Henderson reports, with great

swathes of woodland across the South West wiped out over the past

three years, foresters aren't taking any chances. This is how one

of Devon's most iconic plantations comes to an end. Felled trees,

sliced up in seconds. It is a preventive measure to stop these 50

year-old Japanese larch trees succumbing to Sudden Oak Death.

Otterton Hill is a beautiful spot, perched above east Devon. With its

windswept location, it isn't an in from the disease. -- opinion.

door at Sidmouth, the team are currently working and they felt

2000 tons of timber next door to us. The plan is to cut down almost

100,000 help the trees before the disease strikes and that is just

one estate. Across, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, hundreds of trees

have gone and one MP estimates the cost to the region is �50 million.

With 15,000 jobs at risk. A it really does need to be taken out

quickly because there is no real cure. It has to be cut out

immediately. And replanted and we need to take this very seriously.

The trees at this hilltop were due to come down over the next 10 years.

Now it is a race against time to fell the trees before that timber

becomes infected. Post Office services in the village of

Ugborough in South Devon have been protected with a new branch opening

in the village church. The weekly service started today and is being

run by the Elburton postmistress. It's being held at St Peter's

Church every Thursday for four hours and will provide the majority

of postal services. It took the church a year to get the community

post office open. How the Post Office in the Church brings people

in and also, Thursday is the coffee morning and that encourages people

to come. It is a community building, let the community use this and that

is a very important aspect of life in the village. Cornish swimmer

Jonathan Fox has won his place at the 2012 Paralympic Games by

winning two of his four races at the British Trials in London. The

20-year-old, who broke two world records last year, won gold in both

the 400 metres freestyle and 100 metres backstroke at the

championships. Well done, Jonathan. There are just minutes to go before

the Devon premiere of the Hollywood film based on the story of Dartmoor

Zoo is screened in Plymouth. We Bought a Zoo, starring Matt Damon

and Scarlett Johansen, opened in America last year. We can go live

to Amy Cole, who's at a special screening for family, friends and

staff. Thank you. That film will start at 7pm and hundreds of people

have been arriving, all looking very glamourous. You might remember

that the family bought the zoo in 2006 and their experience was the

basis of a best-selling book which has become a film. Here is a quick

taster... What is a complicated about this place? A ROARING. It is

a zoo. I'm going to live here. Welcome to the zoo. This is what

you want, not what I want. You are insane! You were insane buying that

the zoo. We are joined by Ben Mee. How do you feel about the film? It

is very Americanised, set in southern California. It is very

good, any book that is adapted has to be changed dramatically for the

screen and I was expecting that. The essence of the story is still

out there. It is about a family who rebuild themselves after

bereavement three rebuilding as food and that is what we did.

Central to the film is a loss of your wife and I understand she was

a big part in the buying this zoo? In a sense. Really, she was able to

come round to the idea of buying it. She could not shoot down this big

idea so I knew it had legs. I knew it would be a nice place to bring

up the children. Yes, she is one of the people responsible. He quickly,

I want to introduce your daughter. It is pretty cool having a film and

you play a cameo role in the film? He s, we get to be extras and we

also work on this that and we watched some of the filming. -- the

set. The film opens next Friday. It will be in cinemas everywhere. Back

to the studio. Any chance of Scarlett Johansen, along to that?!

Sam we not. I have looked over the crowds and I still cannot find her.

Her invitation must have got lost in the post! I will go home as

planned after the programme, then! Relatively quiet over the next few

days, no strong wind, it is drive and with high pressure, that would

normally give a sunshine but it might be that there is cloud

trapped within that and it will be stubborn to shift. You can see

these largely clear skies to the south and west and that is the area

of high pressure but floating round the edges, some weather systems

bringing cloud later on tonight. That will be stubborn to move out

of the way tomorrow but then the high pressure moves over for the

weekend and although we will see some very settled conditions, it

may be that sunshine is limited, at least for Saturday. Brighter on

Sunday. This is a cloud structure in more detail, cloud coming in

from the West but enough holes right now and earlier today, we did

have some sunshine. This was Brent Tor. Are a cameraman was enjoying

these fine views. He did catch some sunshine. And with generally quiet

weather, it has been quite pleasant in that sunshine. Temperatures of

about 11 degrees. Similar figures through tomorrow and Saturday and

Sunday. And the Sundays guys for all of us today, it has cheered the

place up. Spring is around the corner. And good temperatures

developing. We could see 14 or 15 early next week. Tonight, more

cloud than over the last couple of nights so not as cold and we will

see that blanket of cloud holding up temperatures. Sunspots of the

countryside might get five degrees but most of us holding up quite

well between 7 and 9 degrees. Tomorrow, howdy to start, mainly

dry with the chance of drizzle over the murders but most of us drive

but some gaps developing in the cloud in the afternoon. And when

that happens and the sunshine comes out, it will feel quite pleasant.

12 degrees the maximum. When from the south-west, light to moderate.

The Isles of Scilly, quite close to a lot of cloud but it might just

produce some drizzle. Most of the day a dry and Cloudy. The high-

water times... For the surfing... On the trot beside that cleaning up

over the next few days. -- jockey side. And the marine forecast...

Debts look further ahead into the weekend, on Saturday the cloud is

thick and it might well produce some drizzle at times. Some low

cloud appearing so it will be quite misty and murky and the mirrors

could see some hill fog. That will move away on Sunday and it is

brighter and more work with temperatures of 13, 14 degrees and

in fact that pattern into next week is similar. Easterly wind, that is