:00:32. > :00:35.Tonight - facing jail after a dramatic change of plea -
:00:36. > :00:37.a prominent former Devon NHS executive admits to swindling
:00:38. > :00:39.?11,000 to the benefit of her husband.
:00:40. > :00:42.Also tonight - a community up in arms as it's confirmed four
:00:43. > :00:46.They knew they had decided to close these hospitals.
:00:47. > :00:49.All they had to do was convince themselves that was the
:00:50. > :00:52.right thing to do, without any input from the public whatsoever.
:00:53. > :00:54.And we're in South Devon tonight to mark the 100th anniversary
:00:55. > :00:57.of a storm which washed away almost an entire village.
:00:58. > :01:01.This was a village. It happens to be the side of Paul Sands in Devon. Now
:01:02. > :01:02.a weird fantasy world of ruins and ghosts.
:01:03. > :01:04.We'll look back at the events which caused the destruction
:01:05. > :01:08.And a service of remembrance is being held tonight -
:01:09. > :01:10.one of those taking part is the internationally renowned
:01:11. > :01:29.I'll be talking to him about his love of Hallsands.
:01:30. > :01:33.The former boss of Torbay Hospital is tonight facing a jail sentence,
:01:34. > :01:36.after admitting fraudulently paying her husband money
:01:37. > :01:40.After a jury heard a day and a half of evidence
:01:41. > :01:44.against Paula Vasco-Knight, she dramatically changed her plea
:01:45. > :01:48.to guilty to siphoning off ?11,000 to her husband,
:01:49. > :01:53.As Hamish Marshall reports, this is not the first time that
:01:54. > :02:04.Vasco Knight allowed family gain to interfere with her NHS role.
:02:05. > :02:15.She earned around ?150,000 a year. She was made a CBE and could
:02:16. > :02:19.compound 1000 pounds a day as an NHS management consultant. But tonight
:02:20. > :02:23.her reputation is in tatters. This trial was due to last two weeks but
:02:24. > :02:29.after just a day and a half of evidence there was a major
:02:30. > :02:33.development. Early this afternoon she sobbed uncontrollably as she
:02:34. > :02:36.changed her plea to one of the charges of fraud she faced to
:02:37. > :02:43.guilty. Her husband also admitted the fraud charge he was facing. As
:02:44. > :02:48.NHS national diversity lead, she authorised a payment of ?11,000 to
:02:49. > :02:53.her husband. He was a graphic designer and it was for eight
:02:54. > :03:01.document called Transform. But it never existed. It wasn't her first
:03:02. > :03:06.error. The tribunal heard that she ploy to her daughter's boyfriend
:03:07. > :03:11.without declaring she knew him. I wondered whether he had actually
:03:12. > :03:15.been briefed by before the interview. I didn't know what the
:03:16. > :03:19.relationship was. It was only later that it came to light and that is
:03:20. > :03:23.when I was told keep quiet about it. After the tribunal was critical of
:03:24. > :03:29.her evidence she left Torbay but still works in the NHS, even taking
:03:30. > :03:33.the unusual step of calling herself a doctor despite only having an
:03:34. > :03:42.honorary degree. I think she had got to the pinnacle of her professional
:03:43. > :03:48.career and I think she was tempted to use the power she had
:03:49. > :03:54.inappropriately. Two charges against a third defendant were dropped. The
:03:55. > :03:56.judge described the guilty pleas is a momentous decision. He said he did
:03:57. > :04:00.not know much about the circumstances of the couple but he
:04:01. > :04:03.was sure they would appreciate the significance of pleading guilty and
:04:04. > :04:11.that an immediate custodial sentence was a distinct possibility. He said
:04:12. > :04:13.she had fallen a long way but it is her responsibility. Sentencing will
:04:14. > :04:17.take place in March. After more than three years
:04:18. > :04:19.of planning and consultation, health bosses today confirmed that four
:04:20. > :04:22.community hospitals There were boos and cries of shame
:04:23. > :04:27.as the South Devon and Torbay Clinical Commissioning Group
:04:28. > :04:30.approved proposals to shut Ashburton, Bovey Tracey,
:04:31. > :04:34.Dartmouth and Paignton It says they will be replaced
:04:35. > :04:38.with health and well-being centres and clinical hubs, so that more
:04:39. > :04:42.people can be treated at home. But campaigners say it
:04:43. > :04:45.just doesn't make sense. The meeting in overlooking
:04:46. > :04:54.Newton Abbot racecourse, but these campaigners
:04:55. > :04:55.of South Devon and Torbay
:04:56. > :04:59.clinical commissioning group's proposals to close four
:05:00. > :05:03.community hospitals were passed without a single
:05:04. > :05:06.objection from the board. Outside, by the winner's enclosure,
:05:07. > :05:11.there was no victory today. It was an attempt to give the public
:05:12. > :05:14.the impression that they'd have some They had absolutely no
:05:15. > :05:19.input in the process. All the time they were
:05:20. > :05:23.talking about the fact that the NHS and our local
:05:24. > :05:26.services are under increasing pressure from an ageing
:05:27. > :05:31.population and increasing demand. Cut one and a half
:05:32. > :05:36.million of expenditures. That doesn't make any
:05:37. > :05:39.sense to anyone involved. The four hospitals at Ashburton,
:05:40. > :05:42.Bovey Tracey, Dartmouth and Paignton will close,
:05:43. > :05:47.but the CCG won't say when. They did say however that nothing
:05:48. > :05:50.can be done until the system of health and well-being centres
:05:51. > :05:54.and clinical hubs which will replace Community hospitals
:05:55. > :05:58.are enormously important to our local communities and I know
:05:59. > :06:01.there will be huge disappointment. But when what we now
:06:02. > :06:04.need to do is focus on making sure these
:06:05. > :06:06.new models of care that have been set
:06:07. > :06:09.out, and the case for them has been The CCG maintains the
:06:10. > :06:13.proposals will allow more people to be treated at home
:06:14. > :06:17.and are the best way of delivering quality care that is
:06:18. > :06:21.sustainable and affordable. It is facing a ?142
:06:22. > :06:26.million deficit by 2020. These plans should
:06:27. > :06:30.save around 1% of that. I've been very open
:06:31. > :06:32.about that in public meetings, about the spend that we
:06:33. > :06:36.have to save within our area and And therefore we have to use every
:06:37. > :06:42.penny wisely and be able to look after the most people
:06:43. > :06:45.for that amount of money. Three of the hospital
:06:46. > :06:47.sites will be sold off, with the proceeds being
:06:48. > :06:50.reinvested in services. It will be evaluated as a possible
:06:51. > :06:55.health and well-being centre with a GP's
:06:56. > :07:03.surgery also on site. The Devon and Cornwall Police
:07:04. > :07:06.force is to get 100 new constables, 50 extra
:07:07. > :07:09.investigators and a team of 30 online staff in what's being called
:07:10. > :07:13.a transformation of the service. The Police and Crime Commissioner
:07:14. > :07:17.says she has found ?24 million to pay for the new officers,
:07:18. > :07:21.but part of that sum includes asking for more money
:07:22. > :07:24.from council tax payers. The plan is yet to be approved
:07:25. > :07:27.by the Police and Crime Panel. The news has been filled
:07:28. > :07:38.with stories of police cuts but now 180 new recruits
:07:39. > :07:41.are being drafted in. They tried to kick the restaurant
:07:42. > :07:47.draw down to get to us so obviously my husband protected me
:07:48. > :07:50.and they did not get in. I was on a 999 call
:07:51. > :07:53.and they were outside, trying to attack us,
:07:54. > :07:56.cos I was asking for help. As a victim of crime,
:07:57. > :07:58.Gail has been left feeling vulnerable and it has
:07:59. > :08:00.affected her business. She feels there isn't
:08:01. > :08:02.the police support. The police station here is closed,
:08:03. > :08:05.it's boarded-up, but No-one is there at the moment,
:08:06. > :08:11.but Alison Hernandez, the Police And Crime Commission, wants a lot more
:08:12. > :08:14.of this sort of office dotted around the region, in order to connect up
:08:15. > :08:21.the public with the police. The biggest thing coming out of this
:08:22. > :08:24.plan is that I am able to invest in policing
:08:25. > :08:27.to help with that cause, so I am looking to secure ?24 million
:08:28. > :08:31.worth of additional funding for the Chief Constable to deliver
:08:32. > :08:36.a better police force. ?10 million has been found
:08:37. > :08:39.from police reserves and there'll be a hike
:08:40. > :08:41.in the council tax - an extra ?3.40 for every band D
:08:42. > :08:46.household - to pay for the He's not such good news
:08:47. > :08:51.for police community 350 officers at present will be
:08:52. > :08:57.reduced to a minimum of 150 within We're told there will
:08:58. > :09:02.be no redundancies. If I can get that to
:09:03. > :09:07.160, 170, 200, I will. Over the four years will be looking
:09:08. > :09:10.at how else we can use our budget, but we need to have
:09:11. > :09:13.certainty while we set If we can make it less
:09:14. > :09:20.impactful we will. PCSOs are the most important
:09:21. > :09:24.and powerful way by which the police interacts directly
:09:25. > :09:27.with communities, not responding to incidents but every day, day in, day
:09:28. > :09:30.out, interacting with communities. They are being cut -
:09:31. > :09:35.it is as simple as that. The 100 new PCs will be stretched
:09:36. > :09:37.across the whole of the It's a little bit like a drop
:09:38. > :09:42.in the ocean, I imagine. Two theatres may have
:09:43. > :09:49.closed in Devon this week, but that's not stopping
:09:50. > :09:51.Exeter City Council from going ahead with moves that could lead
:09:52. > :09:54.to the creation of a big new theatre Our correspondent
:09:55. > :09:59.Neil Gallacher reports. The timing of Exeter's move,
:10:00. > :10:02.just as the Queen's Theatre along with The Landmark
:10:03. > :10:06.in Ilfracombe, is just coincidence, but it underlines that councils
:10:07. > :10:09.cannot afford to get involved All the same, Exeter is asking
:10:10. > :10:13.the question - should someone, council or private
:10:14. > :10:17.sector, create a 1000 seater entertainment venue
:10:18. > :10:22.or bigger, somewhere in Exeter? The City Council owns
:10:23. > :10:25.and operates the Corn Exchange - These posters give
:10:26. > :10:29.a pretty good idea of what the offer is in Exeter as far
:10:30. > :10:32.as the Corn Exchange goes - somewhat dictated by
:10:33. > :10:39.the 500 seat capacity. Plymouth, for example,
:10:40. > :10:43.has a 1300 seat theatre and a concert hall seating
:10:44. > :10:46.twice as many as that. We have the Northcott Theatre,
:10:47. > :10:48.we've also got smaller venues like the Bike Shed,
:10:49. > :10:52.we have Exeter Phoenix. So, in a way, Exeter's offer
:10:53. > :10:57.is complementary to Plymouth's offer But Plymouth is three
:10:58. > :11:11.times the size of Exeter. For all that Exeter is getting
:11:12. > :11:16.consultants in to establish if there is a market for a much bigger venue
:11:17. > :11:20.here. So what are the region's biggest regularly used entertainment
:11:21. > :11:28.venues? It is not easy to know how to measure? By ticket sales? By bums
:11:29. > :12:17.on seats? We decided to go so, there you go, Exeter. That is
:12:18. > :12:21.the competition. Now to the anniversary of a disaster
:12:22. > :12:24.in South Devon which washed Welcome to St Michael's Church
:12:25. > :12:34.in Stokenham near Kingsbridge. A special service of commemoration
:12:35. > :12:37.is currently underway here tonight to remember the events on this day
:12:38. > :12:40.100 years ago which all but destroyed the coastal village
:12:41. > :12:42.of Hallsands just a few miles A violent storm washed away homes
:12:43. > :12:46.which had been left increasingly vulnerable after years of dredging
:12:47. > :13:01.off the coast nearby. The event is part of the history of
:13:02. > :13:05.this area but it has remarkable similarities with the modern day
:13:06. > :13:09.dilemma about how much money and time to spend protecting our coastal
:13:10. > :13:15.communities. Tonight we will look at that modern day battle and reflect
:13:16. > :13:17.on the events of 1917. First, John Henderson has looked at how today's
:13:18. > :13:28.anniversary has been commemorated. Retracing family footsteps. My
:13:29. > :13:32.grandmother had to do this in the gale thunderstorms. With all her
:13:33. > :13:37.family. I felt today I should do it as well on her behalf. And I'm
:13:38. > :13:46.wearing herring gauge mirroring! The remembrance walk started just above
:13:47. > :13:52.the ruins of the lost village. There are two cottages left. This was
:13:53. > :13:59.purchased many years ago over ?20 and is now used as a Fairweather
:14:00. > :14:04.holiday home. Oh we pay council tax! ?1200 a year, I think. Not much
:14:05. > :14:11.rubbish collection down here! This plaque was officially unveiled. 100
:14:12. > :14:21.years ago there was no loss of life and nobody was injured. So please
:14:22. > :14:25.can we repeat that feat as we walk! The Lord Lieutenant was among those
:14:26. > :14:33.making the mile and a half track across the rugged coastline. This
:14:34. > :14:38.place is an example of what happens when nature overtakes what humans
:14:39. > :14:43.have done. I think that is an interesting lesson and a difficult
:14:44. > :14:44.one for the people down here. 50 people made the hike for one
:14:45. > :14:47.historic moment. So how did almost an entire village
:14:48. > :14:50.vanish into the sea? Well, on this day in 1917 spring
:14:51. > :14:55.tides and a strong easterly gale combined to overcome defences
:14:56. > :15:00.which had already been weakened. Many in the area had long argued
:15:01. > :15:03.that dredging off the coast of Hallsands had left
:15:04. > :15:05.the village at risk. John Ayres has looking back
:15:06. > :15:08.at the events of 100 years ago. We're used to the sea and the storms
:15:09. > :15:11.causing huge damage, but the scale Against the wishes of the villagers,
:15:12. > :15:17.the beach below was dredged as the Admiralty
:15:18. > :15:20.was expanding the naval dockyard. This left the village
:15:21. > :15:23.exposed and the Tim Lynn descends from a well-known
:15:24. > :15:31.fishing family based here. Just can't imagine what
:15:32. > :15:34.that must have been... The storms here must
:15:35. > :15:38.have been horrendous. In this day and age there'd
:15:39. > :15:41.be a big rescue and everybody would be rushing
:15:42. > :15:43.here, but then we just Eventually the villagers were
:15:44. > :15:48.compensated, but many felt it wasn't This gable end here, that belonged
:15:49. > :15:56.to the Mitchell's house. Four generations of Roger Stone's
:15:57. > :16:05.family were born at Hallsands. There was a pub,
:16:06. > :16:07.there was a London In. There was a pub,
:16:08. > :16:10.there was a London Inn. I think it was first
:16:11. > :16:12.opened in the late 1700s. There was a shop owned
:16:13. > :16:16.by two sisters, which And in its heyday there
:16:17. > :16:21.was a blacksmith's shop Eventually everyone left,
:16:22. > :16:24.except for one brother and sister. ANNOUNCER: In the only house
:16:25. > :16:28.in old Hallsands, John and And in his workshop, old John, now
:16:29. > :16:36.82, still makes models of the three-masted schooners
:16:37. > :16:40.in which he spent his boyhood. And that model boat
:16:41. > :16:46.is still around today. That was built by Lisanne's brother
:16:47. > :16:49.at the end of the garden, in And all carved out of
:16:50. > :16:53.a pocket knife and bits of Which, when you see it,
:16:54. > :16:59.it's absolutely fantastic. ANNOUNCER: 60 years ago,
:17:00. > :17:02.this was this was a village - warm and alive with folk
:17:03. > :17:04.who had their roots here. Today it is deserted but for one
:17:05. > :17:08.person, the last inhabitant Today, nearly 80 and
:17:09. > :17:12.still refusing to give way to the irresistible
:17:13. > :17:14.advance of the sea, Elizabeth continues
:17:15. > :17:20.to live her strange but full life. And that lady's granddaughter
:17:21. > :17:23.is still in the area. Elizabeth Lee lived there with her
:17:24. > :17:25.grandmother when she was very We just remember playing
:17:26. > :17:30.among the ruins. You know, you played
:17:31. > :17:33.among the ruins, probably We played down there
:17:34. > :17:38.and on the beach and went These days local schoolchildren
:17:39. > :17:48.are being taught about that eventful storm and what life was like the sum
:17:49. > :17:52.of their ancestors. It's kind of quite sad thinking
:17:53. > :17:55.that people lived there and now there's
:17:56. > :17:58.nothing really there. I find it really interesting,
:17:59. > :18:04.because I get to know what actually Many descendants of
:18:05. > :18:08.the original Hallsands families still live locally,
:18:09. > :18:10.and they are keeping the legend
:18:11. > :18:17.of the old village very much alive. Well, many feel the village
:18:18. > :18:20.is still as vulnerable today. The last big storm was in 2014,
:18:21. > :18:23.when many of the village's There's a campaign to get
:18:24. > :18:29.the authorities to change the official policy,
:18:30. > :18:32.which is to let nature take its course and not
:18:33. > :18:34.invest any more money Sophie Pierce been to take
:18:35. > :18:39.a look at the challenges These defences are all that protect
:18:40. > :18:46.Hallsands from the sea. They were repaired by
:18:47. > :18:48.villagers at their own expense in 2014, and they have
:18:49. > :18:53.recently paid for more. They are unhappy the village
:18:54. > :18:56.is being left exposed, unlike Two years ago, the then Government
:18:57. > :19:04.minister Oliver Letwin visited I think what I need to do is have
:19:05. > :19:10.conversations with the Environment Agency about that, because I found
:19:11. > :19:13.in my own constituency there was a time when there were parts
:19:14. > :19:17.of my constituency which were The residents didn't find that
:19:18. > :19:21.a very attractive proposition, we changed that, and I think
:19:22. > :19:24.we probably need to find a A few months later villagers learned
:19:25. > :19:30.that nothing had changed and The shoreline management
:19:31. > :19:35.plan says that there's nothing worth saving in this
:19:36. > :19:39.village - we beg to differ. You can't just say to some
:19:40. > :19:41.people, your houses are going to fall in the sea
:19:42. > :19:45.and there's nothing were going to We pay our council tax
:19:46. > :19:51.and our national taxes the same While the authorities
:19:52. > :19:56.are sympathetic, they say Do we spend ?1 million
:19:57. > :20:01.protecting the coast here or do we spend that ?1 million
:20:02. > :20:05.protecting adult services, special educational needs, youth clubs,
:20:06. > :20:10.libraries, mending the roads? It's a balance and
:20:11. > :20:13.unfortunately it is not an infinite pot of money
:20:14. > :20:17.and we have to make priorities. As it happens there is more shingle
:20:18. > :20:21.on the beach today than there has been for many years,
:20:22. > :20:26.and it acts as a natural defence. Some in the village now feel that
:20:27. > :20:30.keep campaigning is a waste of effort, as the authorities
:20:31. > :20:38.are unlikely to change their minds. Well, as I mentioned, a service
:20:39. > :20:42.of remembrance is taking place here tonight in Stokenham,
:20:43. > :20:47.just a few miles form Hallsands. Descendents of those who lived
:20:48. > :20:49.in the village have joined today's residents and others
:20:50. > :20:52.from the surrounding area to remember the events
:20:53. > :20:55.of 100 years ago. Among them is internationally
:20:56. > :21:01.renowned musician Damon Albarn, I asked him about his
:21:02. > :21:09.connections with Hallsands. I think late '94 decided I wanted
:21:10. > :21:16.to buy something by the sea. And there was this place that looked
:21:17. > :21:20.kind of interesting side just came down here and fell in love
:21:21. > :21:23.with it straightaway. And how much of an inspiration
:21:24. > :21:26.has it been to you as a musician, as a songwriter,
:21:27. > :21:28.over the years? You've got the hills,
:21:29. > :21:39.you've got the moors. It's the place I go
:21:40. > :21:45.to think, and swim. And what about the disaster
:21:46. > :21:51.itself, 100 years ago? I was always kind of
:21:52. > :21:53.looking like, what's that Went out in the dinghy
:21:54. > :21:57.or whatever into the bay I started reading up about it and,
:21:58. > :22:06.you know, the whole... The drama of it
:22:07. > :22:08.and the fact that the descendants then moved just a little
:22:09. > :22:15.bit round the corner to Yeah, it just seemed like it was
:22:16. > :22:22.such a nightmarish night. How do you feel about
:22:23. > :22:24.the vulnerability of The whole of this coast
:22:25. > :22:34.is in a constant state of erosion. Obviously, you have explained
:22:35. > :22:42.the story of why Hallsands fell Sometimes, if I don't come down
:22:43. > :22:54.here for, like, six months, I always imagine what life
:22:55. > :23:07.must have been like for everyone in these
:23:08. > :23:11.villages, before roads. And, briefly, what
:23:12. > :23:18.does it mean to be here tonight, to join the community
:23:19. > :23:21.for this commemoration? I thought about it, it
:23:22. > :23:31.inspired me so much. I feel like I want to be
:23:32. > :23:35.part of this, you know? Yeah, I'm connected,
:23:36. > :23:38.so that's why I'm here. Damon Albarn, thank you very much
:23:39. > :23:53.indeed for talking to us. course and destruction and weather
:23:54. > :24:00.conditions. What was it like 100 years ago? It was dry, it was cold
:24:01. > :24:06.but it was incredibly windy. We had winds today around 30 to 40 mph. On
:24:07. > :24:12.this night 100 years ago they had winds of 70 to 80 miles an hour. But
:24:13. > :24:16.also exceptionally high tides. It is the two combined the release smashed
:24:17. > :24:20.into the village. Most of the year it is well protected from the wind
:24:21. > :24:24.from the south-west. It's unusual to see an easterly gale and one that
:24:25. > :24:29.was quite so strong. What about tonight's forecast?
:24:30. > :24:34.The cold is still with us but that is about to change as we start to
:24:35. > :24:40.warm up heading to the weekend. Let's start with a summary of
:24:41. > :24:45.tomorrow's forecast. It's going to be less windy, perhaps feeling less
:24:46. > :24:48.cold as well. But there is a chance for patchy rain. That slowly
:24:49. > :24:53.creeping in from the Atlantic. It's the first real change for us to get
:24:54. > :24:58.less cold. There is the satellite picture. You conceive how the cloud
:24:59. > :25:03.is building, that will make its way towards us eventually. At the moment
:25:04. > :25:06.we're still the influence of high pressure. If we run the sequence,
:25:07. > :25:11.you can see how the web front approaches from the West. By the
:25:12. > :25:17.morning that could reduce outbreaks of rain across Cornwall. The rest of
:25:18. > :25:21.us not faring too badly. By Saturday low-pressure is taking charge.
:25:22. > :25:25.Atlantic air has made its way in and it is a similar setup on Sunday.
:25:26. > :25:29.Sunday looks like it will be rather cloudy but at least the temperatures
:25:30. > :25:33.are on the rise. A closer look at that picture shows us the clouds
:25:34. > :25:38.today which made it feel very cold and grey. There was some late
:25:39. > :25:43.sunshine and is now a good deal of clear sky. Tonight's forecast is for
:25:44. > :25:47.it to remain breezy and clear, the exception being the far west of
:25:48. > :25:53.Cornwall where we will see patchy light rain. Night-time temperatures
:25:54. > :25:59.probably getting to freezing overnight tonight. Tomorrow we have
:26:00. > :26:04.a blustery day and patchy rain coming from the West. More rain
:26:05. > :26:10.coming from the south. By the end of the day it is milder and also cloudy
:26:11. > :26:15.with patchy rain. Temperatures finally getting up to double
:26:16. > :26:26.figures. That's the forecast for the Isles of Scilly. Patchy rain and not
:26:27. > :26:34.as windy. That's the times of high water. Some big waves as well for
:26:35. > :26:39.the surfers. The winds from the South slowly veering south-westerly.
:26:40. > :26:45.Patchy rain coming in eventually. Outlook for the weekend is for it to
:26:46. > :26:50.get a lot less cold, temperatures back into double figures, and patchy
:26:51. > :26:53.rain around on Saturday and Sunday. Have a good evening.
:26:54. > :27:04.And that is it for tonight, on the day that the 100th anniversary of
:27:05. > :28:00.the destruction of Hallsands. Einstein replaced Newton's theory
:28:01. > :28:02.of universal gravitation with a more accurate theory -
:28:03. > :28:05.general relativity. So, why's my apple falling?
:28:06. > :28:08.Well, it's not. It is the ground that accelerates up
:28:09. > :28:12.to meet the apple. So that's why the chair
:28:13. > :28:15.that I'm sitting on now that actually feels
:28:16. > :28:17.as if it's accelerating up It's really changed my relationship
:28:18. > :28:30.with this chair. Mm-hm. The FA People's Cup -
:28:31. > :28:44.a free five-a-side tournament