15/09/2014 Spotlight

The woman who deliberately jumped to her death at Haytor

The body of her other son found at the family home.

Details about the tragedy h`ve emerged at an inquest held today

although it's still not cle`r how the child at the house died

We'll be live on Dartmoor in just a moment.

Jailed after stealing hundrdds of thousands of pounds desthned

Christopher Copeland has bedn sentenced to four`and`a`half years

after taking the money from Help for Heroes.

And the parents at breaking point, as they continue to struggld

An inquest has heard how a mother deliberately jumped 80 feet

to her death off a Dartmoor beauty spot ` with her

The Coroner ruled Katharine Hooper unlawfully killed Joshua Patterson

Police later discovered her other son Samuel, who was two,

Let's go live to Haytor and Hamish Marshall.

When we first heard about this in July of last year, we all assumed it

was a tragic accident but as more details emerge, we realised there

was far more to it. Today, police talked about people here on that

Friday morning. They saw a woman at the top of the rocks balanchng a

child on her shoulder, one tourist said he saw them moved to the edge

and then pull back. Katharine Hooper did jump. She took her son with her

and that was just hours aftdr her other son had died at their home. A

happy looking family, but one with troubles. Catherine had run off on

one occasion previously, accused her ex`partner and father of her boys of

assault, and that case was going through court and social services

were involved. When the bodhes of the 24`year`old and her son were

found after the fall, policd went to the family home. There they found

two`year`old Samuel dead on her bed. A pathologist told the hearhng that

despite a postmortem examin`tion and other specialist tests, he can be

sure how Samuel had died. Drowning was a possibility, but therd wasn't

enough evidence to be sure. The coroner agreed and returned an open

verdict on the youngster. The coroner also rue that Katharine

Hooper had taken her own life and Joshua was unlawfully killed. The

assault charge against Niall Paterson was dropped followhng

Katharine Hooper's death. Hd is angry what he regards as prdssure

from social services. She would have been confronted with the most

unimaginable sight, seeing her son drowned in the bath. No words or

actions could describe the fort which must have exploded in her

mind. She knew her life was over, not she would lose Joshua and even

face the prospect of ending up in custody over Samuel's death. She

must have been in the darkest hole imaginable. Is serious case review

is due to be reported earlidr this year. Her family did wishes be

today, but say they will do soon in the future. `` her family dhd not

wish to speak today. Mr Patdrson said he felt social services acted

too quickly. I also mentiondd a serious case review. He doesn't feel

he has been a bigger part of that. That is due to report beford the end

of the year, and we will kedp you up to date with those findings, as Mr

Paterson feels social services have been, to quote his words,

heavy`handed. Parents say their children `re

suffering because of the continued suspension of some services

at a specialist unit near Plymouth. The Dame Hannah Rogers School

in Ivybridge has effectivelx been closed for almost six weeks,

over what's been described This evening the Trust said it

hopes to provide parents with Keirin loves playing and be`m with

other people. A 21`year`old has cerebral palsy and complex needs.

His mum is always there for them, but both lie on the services offered

here. The closure of the centre is causing all sorts of problels. The

children who go there and adults that go there, they are missing out

what they need. They speech therapy and all these things, and they're

not getting it. It is very frustrating and makes me angry.

Respite is essential, but that option disappeared in a B Atgust

when Ofsted took the decision to suspend children's services here ``

in Italy August. The trust said it had been a terrible time `` in early

August. That respite can't come soon enough for the families who use the

centre and services. People like Kay, whose daughter also nedds

round`the`clock care. She is suffering hugely. She is

underestimated. She needs constant stimulation, which when you're

trying to do it yourself evdry day, is difficult. She loves this

divination from school and `ll the noise and bars. She is misshng out

on a social life. She is missing out on her legal right to be edtcated.

While the family have been forced to make alternative arrangements, the

trust say they hope to have the whole situation resolved very soon.

A man from Devon, who stole hundreds of thousands of pounds desthned

for Help for Heroes, the ch`rity for wounded armed forces' sdrvicemen

and women, has been jailed for four`and`a`half years.

The judge said Christopher Copeland had committed an

"extremely serious" breach of trust, for which he'd shown "no relorse".

Our home affairs corresponddnt Simon Hall reports from

Help for Heroes has become one of the nation's most promindnt

As part of its role in supporting wounded and injured armed pdrsonnel,

it trained and funded the British team at last week's Invictus games,

Christopher Copeland, here at a previous hearing,

He sent teams of volunteers to shopping centres to collect from the

Today, he was jailed for fotr and a half years.

We believe it accurately reflects the calculating

and devious fraud he exercised over a sustained period of time.

Defrauding members of the ptblic, purporting to be from the charity,

Help for Heroes says the ?300,0 0 Copeland stole would fund the

running costs of its recovery centre for injured personnel in Plxmouth

for a year, or its Band of Brothers support network for 18 months, or

seven months of its Battle Back programme, which supports rdcovery

I think the important thing to focus on

There was a three`and`a`half year investigation by the police into

We look to move forward and look to focus on the positives for Help

for Heroes, and the positivds that the wounded and sick can now do

Help for Heroes has raised about ?200 million

for wounded service personndl, through a series of events hn the

The police are now investig`ting seizing some of Copeland's `ssets,

to try to recover the money he stole, so it c`n be

The judge told the court that there had bedn

a great deal of public vilification of Copeland, but that the sdntence

was based on the seriousness of his crimes, not emotion.

He added that Copeland had shown no remorse, and that the breach

of trust involved in his crhmes was a serious aggravating factor.

A woman is in a critical condition in hospital after being rescued

Fire crews from three stations were called to

King Street in Stonehouse jtst after half past one in the lorning.

Several people had to leave their homes.

The cause of the blaze is being investigated.

Plymouth city council's calling for Brittany Ferries to be given

more time to meet tough new laws governing pollution.

The company's due to upgradd its two ferries using Millbay in a couple of

years time ` but the new regulations come into force in January.

There's a warning that this could ldad to

The city council and Brittany Ferries both believe

a short term exemption could make all the difference.

South West Water has seen the biggest increase in complaints

of any water company across England and Wales over the past year.

Figures from the Consumer Council for Water show written complaints up

South West Water says the increase is down to excdptional

weather, and over the last five years, the ovdrall

Now, one way to encourage whldlife in your garden is to do less not

more ` take a corner of your lawn and effectivelx let

According to the Devon Wildlife Trust, the county is

short of meadows, which somdtimes need a helping hand to get going.

That's exactly what they're doing in North Devon, as our

Environment Correspondent Adrian Campbell has been finding ott.

Here we have around 15 diffdrent types of seeds and grasses `nd wild

flowers, which have been gathered by a remarkable pieceequipmdnt,

just down in the fields, whhch you may be able to make out there.

They're gathering all the sded heads which have been growing frol the

Over here, you can see they're riddling this to

get all the seeds out, to ghve us the mix they need to broadc`st these

Over here, joining us now, hs Simon Berry from the Devon Wildlife Trust.

Simon, what on earth is going on hdre?

Well, we go to different sites throughout the county,

and here we have the differdnt sorts of seeds we have taken.

For instance, this is from just outside C`mpton,

Mostly grasses and wild flowers from a drier meadow.

They are very different, aren't they?

This is a seed mix, which h`s come from Dunston farm, which will

What on earth is the reason, just explain?

We're very short of a wild flower meadows and grassland,

and we found moving on from the green hay, we are finding this

seed is very good for distrhbuting meadows around the counties.

I understand we lost 97% of our grassland meadows with this

This is why we are trying to find a way of spreading the seed

as quickly as we can, and getting more distribution.

This is the seed that is that has been gathered.

We have now moved to what is called the receptor site,

Simon, I think you can identify all this, if I threw it down, c`n't you?

It is amazing that you can identify them.

Now you're going to go spread them for us.

This method of improving habitat is becoming more common, and this year,

the Devon Wildlife Trust saxs it has harvested more seeds th`n ever.

A recent survey by Prudenti`l finds a fifth of people retiring this year

That's much higher than the UK average, and in part of the country

with a much higher proportion of people over the age of 64.

Inside Out South West has bden investigating pensions

for the programme, which is on a little later this evenhng.

They put pensionless Siobhan Breslin in touch with Radio Devon's

We invited them both into the studio to talk abott

whether or not it's ever too late to take steps to fund your rethrement.

Thanks very much from both coming in.

Siobhan, firstly, can you explain to us what your situation is?

Because I left an employer who did have

a pension scheme set up, and they also put in a contribution towards

I work for a new organisation which was much smaller.

So you didn't have that nattral encouragement to do it, in ` way?

I probably would have just slipped in to that, where's it meant I had

to go off and source somebody and figure out what I was going to

do without understanding wh`t pensions are all about.

The ins and outs, and what is a good company.

How did you feel about not having a pension?

It was a little bit burying your head in the sand.

I didn't really think about the future and being old, and dhdn't...

I didn't let my head go there, really.

But then there was a sudden realisation that I wanted mx life

I wanted to still be able to do the things I like doing.

I didn't want a miserable 20 odd years.

Is it quite a common story, people burying their heads in the sand

We don't think about the future particularly.

Maybe at 65, then with life expectancy being between 81 and 84

years old, you proudly have another third of your life ahead of yourself

in retirement, so it is verx common that you don't think about ht.

You might not be able to afford it now,

Half of the people are saying I can't afford it now.

If you think, all of our living costs have gone up in recent years.

We are coming out of one of the worst recessions.

Therefore people have been affected with their finances.

So you understand why peopld like Siobhan wouldn't get a penshon?

It is very complicated, so the Department for Work `nd

Pensions did a survey in 2002, and 63% of respondents said thex found

pensions too confusing, thex didn't know what do, so did nothing.

As long as you are planning for it, so you might have property to let,

It might be they do ISAs, all sorts of different things, but thd fact is

a lot of us are not thinking about it at all, so there is no plan.

You have given Siobhan a financial make over, haven't you?

We don't want to reveal all the details of it because that is

I'm very pleased I found her to do my pension, because she lakes

it very clear and you can understand what the process is.

From my mind, it is all abott having a plan, so we can work out what

their objectives were and then work back from that, also understanding

what the State would give hdr, because that is all changing.

We worked to make sure we could get to where she wants to bd.

And you can find out exactlx how much Siobhan needs to save to

enjoy her retirement on Inshde Out South West ` that's at 7:30

Onto the sport, and it turns out that

the form team in South West football at the moment is Torquay Unhted

Today, Dave Gibbins has been there with former Gulls defender Guy

Branston, to reflect on thehr superb run and the rest of the weekend s

performances, including how Exeter Chiefs nearly beat Ldicester

We are here and the team of the week, Torquay. They won four on the

spin and have shot up to fifth place, head of the big game

tomorrow. The former United professional player, who first

assesses a disappointing wedk and the south`east's league teals, with

Yeovil town's loss. The goals we conceded were bad. Bad defending.

Silly marking. The ball was fantastic. Jake Price looked a

lively player. I think they're not firing on all cylinders, and

conceding goals from silly set pieces. Gary Johnson will w`nt to

sort that out. Plymouth went to Morecambe, but came away sh`king

their heads, wondering how they lost to `1 `` 2`1. He looks a bit like

me. You sit there and look `t it. He scores good goals and causes

problems. The second goal they scored against the defence was

something that could have bden cut out, and consistency is important.

Exeter city can't buy a win. They drew with Oxford. They have moved

off the bottom of league two. It finished 1`1. How do you thhnk the

manager will be feeling? Frtstrated. He shows a good image of hilself on

TV and radio. The big thing for him is that they're not scoring goals.

We need a sharp finisher. They need goals from every area. I thhnk you

will be frustrated. I keep coming on TV to talk about it. They nded to

score about it. Onto the te`m of the moment, Torquay. Four wins on the

bouncer, and have shot up to fifth. What is the manager doing to turn

things round? Here's broad consistency. He has got a group of

lads who can score from anywhere `` he has brought consistency. Onto

rugby, and it was a revamped Park with a capacity of 12,000. Leicester

just went down by four points. With more on this, here is Andy. They

turned in their thousands, full of confidence. Yes, it does help when

you're nearly 20 stone to gdt your way over. But the Tigers refused to

be caged. Haydn Thomas scordd, and at the break they lead by three

Exeter had only beating the Tigers twice before but this be frde ``

three time lucky. Another pdnalty was knocked over. Leicester were

able to hold on for a hard fought victory. Although disappointed to

come close, they still have six points to show from the opening

games. In the championship, all sides remain without a win. They

slipped to home defeats. Torquay tried to vanquish the only tnbeaten

team in the conference here, Woking. Coverage on radio. Yeovil are also

playing against Crewe. Lovely in the sunshine there. David will be here

in just a few minutes with ` full weather forecast on what has been a

dry September. Holly rain at all. `` hardly any rain at all.

A species of at all. butterfly which has been in decline since the 1 70s

It's thought the warm summer has helped the small tortoiseshdll.

The tiny brown and blue butterfly was seen in good

numbers during a voluntary survey of the creatures during the summer.

David George has been butterfly watching near Truro.

It has not been a bad afternoon for a butterfly watching. You nded warm

weather. Tick. Sunshine. Turk. Some plant species. Turk. And a bit of

luck `` TICK. It has is beattiful patterning on its body. It braces

any garden. It is so spectacular. Here is one we filmed last xear

Numbers of the species had been in decline for more than 40 ye`rs, but

this summer it is back in the top ten most seem at number four. The

good news comes as a result of the big butterfly count, which took

place between the middle of July and August, when thousands of pdople

across the country counted butterflies. Records are made here

in Cornwall. The experts sax that to dry summers have helped the

population. Good weather allows creatures more time on flights and

more opportunities to breed. When anything comes back from wh`t could

have been the brink, it makds you feel happy, because as

conservationists, normally the news is bad and stays bad, unless we do

something about it. I think the weather and mother nature h`s

combined and brought some good news. Little miracles can happen. We

fought they may be in trouble and on their way out, and they havd come

back. And we need not go far to watch butterflies ourselves. Our

gardens have come important refuges for those species of butterfly that

are often not seen on modern farm land. It is time for the we`ther.

David is here. Is there any rain? There may be a shower around.

Looking at the records, we had a little bit of warmth and drx weather

in September, but nothing lhke we have seen. We are in the middle of

the month and no rain reported. We are doing very well. There hs a

chance for a few showers. Some people could do with a bit of rain.

Let's have a look at tomorrow. There is a risk of a shower tomorrow, a

small one. Most likely in Ddvon and Somerset. Very isolated. For the

rest of us, some sunshine and the warmth is a real future for tomorrow

and the rest of the week. It will give temperatures of 22 or 23

degrees over the next few d`ys. The highest risk of seeing showdrs will

be on Friday. Looking at thd clouds, there isn't much ch`nge in

the weather pattern compared to last week. The same area of pressure is

off Spain and Portugal. The area of high pressure over Scandinavia is

very weak and beginning to love away. It opens the door this area

are pressured to move a bit. They're the wet weather for Spain and

Portugal. By Wednesday it is moving into the Bay of Biscay. Still with

easterly winds and mostly dry and fine and feeling warm. That is a

satellite picture. You can see how the have been showers today, through

the Midlands and Wales. We have had strands of low cloud, althotgh this

was earlier today on the satellite. We saw people out and about. You

would think it was July, but it is a beautiful September day.

Temperatures of 18 or 19 degrees. It will be warmer tomorrow, with the

increase in humidity. It is less cold overnight and also with a bit

more moisture in the air, which will mean more mist and low cloud

forming. A bit murky and messy, and a bit great for many. Morning

temperatures starting at 12 Celsius. We may see temperatures down to ten

and 11 in real areas. Tomorrow is a lovely day to most of us. The

sunshine will be back out. The cloud lives out of the way, but note the

showers. Some across North Devon and Somerset. Very isolated where they

do occur, there could be a sharp downpour of rain. Most of Ddvon will

see sunshine, and it will bd a nice day. More of a breeze down to the

south coast and down towards Saint Mary 's. Those are temperattres but

inland 2223 degrees, and th`t is a temperature we need to trigger a

sharp shower `` 22 or 23 degrees. That is the forecast for thd Isles

of Scilly. Onto the times of high water now. There is more wind for

our surfers. C temperature `round 70 degrees. The winds are from the

east. Otherwise, moderately good visibility. That is the outlook The

change comes was a end of the week when we see some heavy showdrs

developing on Friday, but until then it is mainly dry and still warm

Have a good evening. I could see a bit of rain. Natalie is back with

the late news at 10p we are back tomorrow. Have a good evening. ``

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