Summary

  • Updates from Friday 6 October

  • Pair released over cyclist 'hit-and-run' death

  • Sport: South coast stars in World Cup action

  • Hospital 'crisis' warning over homeless addicts

  1. London Irish 27-28 Leicesterpublished at 18:08 BST 7 October 2017

    Leicester Tigers beat struggling London Irish to register a fourth successive Premiership victory.

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  2. Man jailed for children's home rapespublished at 17:57 BST 6 October 2017

    Willy Gillham carried out multiple sex attacks on a boy in his care in the 1980s.

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  3. Quarry attraction to open in 2020published at 17:57 BST 6 October 2017

    The attraction was originally designed as a spiral stone tower but will now be built underground.

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  4. Man denies attempting to kill joggerpublished at 17:53 BST 6 October 2017

    Tanners Lane, in Emmer Green, ReadingImage source, Google
    Image caption,

    The woman was attacked while running in Tanners Lane, near Emmer Green, Reading

    A man has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and causing actual bodily harm after a jogger was assaulted.

    The women was attacked on Tanners Lane, near Emmer Green, Reading in July.

    She passed a man on a skateboard who assaulted her a few moments later, Thames Valley Police said. The victim managed to get away and hide.

    Callum McPhee, 29, of Chalkhouse Green Road, Kidmore End, Reading entered the plea at Oxford Crown Court earlier. His trial is scheduled for 5 January 2018.

  5. Countdown for Oxford half marathonpublished at 17:43 BST 6 October 2017

    More than 10,000 runners are completing final preparations for this year's Oxford Half Marathon.

    The event, now in its seventh year, starts on Sunday morning on Broad Street and finishes in Parks Road, passing many of the city's landmarks en route.

    There'll be full coverage of the race from 09:00 on Sunday on BBC Radio Oxford.

    Oxford half marathon 2015Image source, Jeremy Bickerton
  6. Police appeal over Portsmouth park attackpublished at 17:40 BST 6 October 2017

    Police in Portsmouth are trying to trace a dog walker who may have witnessed an assault in Kingston Park in Fratton on Wednesday.

    A 52-year-old man suffered cuts to his head and bruised ribs following an argument with a woman riding her bike and a man who was with her.

    A woman has been arrested on suspicion of GBH. Officers want to speak to a man who was walking his Jack Russell and nearby at the time and anyone else who saw the incident happen.

  7. Abingdon house-building plan announcedpublished at 17:28 BST 6 October 2017

    Vale of White Horse District Council has announced it is intending to develop its first council-built homes in decades.

    Using financial contributions from other housing developments including the nearby Old Gaol, the council plans to redevelop the former Town Council offices at Old Abbey House in Abingdon.

    The proposal for affordable homes on the site will help provide homes for local residents on the authority's housing register.

    House building - generic
    Quote Message

    Using money from commercial developers this is the perfect opportunity to make use of a vacant office building in the heart of the community and provide much needed affordable homes for local people

    Matthew Barber,, Council leader

  8. Man jailed for double police assaultpublished at 17:28 BST 6 October 2017

    The two officers were taken to hospital, one with a cut to his shoulder, the other a cut to his hand.

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  9. Police hunt 27-year-old Oxford manpublished at 17:01 BST 6 October 2017

    Daniel NewImage source, Thames Valley Police

    Police are looking for a man from Oxford who they want to return to prison.

    Daniel New, 27, is wanted for failing to comply with his license conditions.

    He is known to visit the Oxford, Didcot and Wallingford areas.

    Det Con Kimberly Barletta says people should not approach him if they see him, and call police immediately.

  10. Hailed 'hero' for helping autistic childpublished at 16:46 BST 6 October 2017

    The mother of a five-year-old boy with autism has hailed a young man a "hero" after he stepped in to help calm her son during a difficult train journey.

    Gayna Pealling hailed Daniel Ball, 21, from Farringdon, "my hero" after he distracted her son Jack when he became distressed on a train to Farnborough.

    She posted images on Facebook of Mr Ball playing with Jack, which have been shared hundreds of times. The pair have since began campaigning to raise awareness of autism and ADHD.

    Dan Ball playing with kidsImage source, Gayna Pealling
    Quote Message

    "I can't thank Dan enough for what he did that day. Strangers just think my child is misbehaving but it is just his condition. I got a lot of bad looks from a lot of people on the train - which didn't help the situation."

    Gayna Pealling

  11. Man guilty of Palmerston House children's home rapepublished at 16:29 BST 6 October 2017
    Breaking

    A house parent at a children's home has been found guilty of repeatedly raping an 11-year-old boy in his care.

    Palmerston House children's homeImage source, Malcolm Heathcote

    Willy Gillham, 64, attacked the boy at the former Palmerston House children's home in Romsey, Hampshire, in the 1980s.

    The victim was left "bleeding, devastated and terrified", his trial at Southampton Crown Court heard.

    He was found guilty of three counts of buggery and one of indecent assault and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

  12. New 'yacht design' hotel opens in Southamptonpublished at 16:18 BST 6 October 2017

    Alastair Fee
    Business Correspondent, BBC South

    A new £25m luxury hotel has opened in Southampton.

    The Harbour Hotel in the city's Ocean Village has been designed to look a bit like a super yacht.

    The hotel marks a major investment in Southampton with hospitality industry experts saying it helps meet the shortage in high-end hotel accommodation in the region.

    harbour Hotel
  13. 'Modern-day mystery' at RAF Bicester solvedpublished at 16:14 BST 6 October 2017

    A mysterious building discovered in thick undergrowth at a former RAF base has been revealed as an anti-aircraft gun position and munitions store.

    Historic England had appealed to the public to solve the puzzle of the structure not shown on records or maps.

    It was revealed to be a mounting point for a light machine gun, designed to shoot at enemy parachutists targeting the base for invasion.

    The former RAF Bicester, now Bicester Heritage, was a World War Two RAF Bomber Training Station.

    RAF Bicester gun mountImage source, Historic England

    Daniel Geoghegan, managing director of Bicester Heritage, said "This particular defensive structure had us scratching our heads for some time and we were delighted by the response from the public who helped us conclude a modern-day mystery."

  14. Farnborough double police assault: Attacker jailedpublished at 16:01 BST 6 October 2017
    Breaking

    A man has been jailed after attacking two police officers as they attended a "domestic incident" in Hampshire.

    Merlin Road, FarnboroughImage source, Google

    Christopher Benjamin, also known by the surname Buttling, 32, previously admitted two charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and one count of producing cannabis.

    Police said the officers were injured after being called to Merlin Road, Farnborough, on 12 July.

    Buttling, of Bell Court, Merlin Road, was sentenced to 11 years in prison at Winchester Crown Court.

  15. Hailed 'hero' for helping autistic childpublished at 16:00 BST 6 October 2017

    Social media sensation of a man who helps calm an autistic boy who was distressed on a train.

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  16. Andover temporary swimming pool delay criticisedpublished at 15:52 BST 6 October 2017

    Residents of Andover have criticised the delay in opening a temporary swimming pool while a new leisure centre is built in the Hampshire town.

    Andover's pool and sports hall closed in March, with a new £16m complex not due to open until 2019.

    Campaigners had criticised its closure without any temporary facilities in place, as the alternatives were located about 20 miles (32km) away.

    Test Valley Borough Council has not given a reason for the latest delay but said it was "extremely frustrated".

    Temporary swimming pool
    Quote Message

    "It's too late now to change what's going on unfortunately, but the next the time you think of a bright idea of a brand new leisure centre, make sure you talk to residents, make sure you consult first, make sure you plan it better and make sure you don't leave residents literally high and dry for months on end without any form of swimming facilities."

    Andy Fitchet, Andover Town Council

  17. Mystery over hidden RAF shelter solvedpublished at 15:50 BST 6 October 2017

    Historic England had appealed to the public to solve the puzzle of the structure not shown on records or maps.

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  18. Rise in plane turbulence predictedpublished at 15:37 BST 6 October 2017

    Airline passengers could be in for rougher rides in future, according to Reading experts.

    Computer models have predicted a steep rise in clear air turbulence. The violent air movements are invisible to radar and the human eye. They don't pose a serious threat to planes, but can be alarming for those on board.

    Scientists at the University of Reading say a several-fold increase in turbulence towards the end of this century would be a direct result of global warming.

    Scientific models
  19. Isle of Wight Mountbatten Hospice film premierspublished at 15:23 BST 6 October 2017

    A documentary showing how four terminally ill people from the Isle of Wight live their final year is being premiered in London this weekend.

    Entitled Island, it was shot over a 12-month period with patients and staff at the Earl Mountbatten Hospice, the four featured were coming to terms with a terminal cancer diagnosis.

    IslandImage source, Paradogs Films
    Quote Message

    I wanted to be witness to the moment of death, because I felt that this was taboo in our society, certainly taboo if the image didn’t originate from a familial relationship, like a partner or a sibling filming a loved one. I wanted to ask, why is that taboo, given that death happens every day and is as natural an event as birth?"

    Steven Eastwood, Director