Givemore Gezi was told he had committed "an exceptional breach of trust".

Ed Oldfield
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Torbay’s mayor Gordon Oliver wants to reverse a spending cut so that the council’s ceremonial mace can be brought to meetings.

The cost of security to bring the ornamental staff from Torquay Town Hall to meetings of the full council at the Riviera International Centre was cut in a freeze on non-urgent spending introduced in August to prevent a £1m deficit.

Now the elected mayor wants the mace, a symbol of the council’s authority, to come back to meetings at the conference centre, about a mile from the town hall where it is kept.

Mayor Oliver's motion said it was a "long and established tradition and retains the linkage the authority has to the monarchy, which is part of the national structure of government in this country".

But Liberal Democrat Nick Pentney has filed a counter motion, saying the cost should be classed as non-essential spending following £76m of government cuts and this year’s cost-saving measures.

He also highlighted advice that decisions taken by the council were legally binding in the absence of the mace.

The cost of the security arrangements for the transfer of the items have not been disclosed.

Image source, LDRS

Richard Whitehouse
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Concerns about dangerous routes that children are having to walk to school have led to a pledge for a review of the policy about how decisions are made on which routes are safe.

There have been well-publicised concerns raised about children in Delabole who are having to walk to school in Camelford as they live less than three miles away.

Decisions on which routes are considered safe are dictated by national policy but councillors said that policy was not suitable for rural areas where routes can be unlit and use narrow roads and footpaths running through fields.

A motion was proposed at Tuesday's full council meeting by Lib Dem Councillor Dominic Fairman for a review of the council's current policy.

It was strongly backed by councillors with many highlighting concerns about walks which children and young people in their areas were having to undertake each day to get to school and college.

Matthew Hedges says he was asked by the UAE to act as a double agent in the UK's Foreign Office.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

Plastic particles and man-made fibres have been found in the guts of more than 100 sea turtles from around the world.

Scientists from the University of Exeter carried out tests on turtles that had died after becoming stranded or caught in fishing nets.

The animals spanned the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Mediterranean sea and included members of every known sea turtle species.

The researchers looked for synthetic particles less than 5mm in length and found them in every one of the 102 turtles studied.

Fibres from sources such as clothing, tyres, cigarette filters, ropes and fishing nets were the most common types of particle discovered.

Image source, University of Exeter

Chloe Axford
BBC Spotlight

A mental health nurse who had sex with a teenage girl in his care has been jailed for seven years and eight months.

Givemore Gezi, 40, admitted sexual activity with a child and sexual activity by a carer with a person with a mental disorder. He had initially denied the charges, but changed his plea on the second day of his trial at Exeter Crown Court.

Gezi, of Maidenway Road, Paignton, was a senior nurse in Devon when he started treating the girl in 2017.

She was in foster care and had a history of depression, self-harm and had been diagnosed as being emotionally unstable with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the court heard.

Gezi exploited her vulnerability by grooming her, starting a sexual relationship when she was 15 and having sex with her when she turned 16. She became pregnant and he persuaded her to have an abortion, the court was told.

In a victim impact statement, the girl said she "didn’t realise he was taking advantage of me" at "probably... my most vulnerable time".

She added: "I still battle with my emotions, particularly about the termination."

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

Cornwall Council has voted to support what has become known as the People's Vote campaign, calling for a second referendum on Brexit.

The council said members voted 47 to 41 to support the People's Vote campaign during a debate on Tuesday.

Council leader Adam Paynter also said the authority was also committed to retaining strong ties with Europe after Brexit, and called to protect the rights of any EU citizens living in the county.

He added: "The most important thing for me is to make sure that Cornwall is in a position to prosper whatever may happen in the months to come."

Image source, Cornwall Council

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Councillors and police have welcomed a court's decision to impose the heaviest penalty possible on a man whose dog killed a black swan in Dawlish.

Ross Norman, 26, was prosecuted by Teignbridge District Council after the dog he was in charge of attacked and killed a swan at the Lawn in Dawlish in April while she was trying to protect her cygnets.

He ran off after being confronted by a group of 20 passers-by who tried to separate the animals. The dog was not on a lead, contrary to by-laws.

Magistrates this week ordered Norman, of HMP Channings Wood, but originally from Dawlish, to pay the maximum penalty of £500, plus a victim surcharge of £50, and awarded the council full costs of £471.81.

Image source, Daniel Clark

The sentence was praised by Teignbridge district councillors during an executive meeting on Tuesday, where coincidentally, they were discussing introducing new controls around dogs enabling council officers to fine offenders £100 for breaches.

The Teignmouth and Dawlish Neighbourhood Policing team said on Facebook, external it was "fantastic result" of the case.

The black swans of Dawlish (pictured) have been a draw for tourists for decades and the emblematic birds even feature on the town's welcome sign.

BBC Radio Cornwall

The A30 Hayle bypass is just passable due to flooding between Loggans Moor roundabout and the St Erth roundabout. Approach with care.

Richard Whitehouse
Local Democracy Reporting Service

The government must say whether or not it will spend £3m towards building the Stadium for Cornwall, says council leader Adam Paynter.

A request for the cash was made to the government which would be match-funded by Cornwall Council following an agreement in April.

The £14.3m Stadium for Cornwall is planned for a site near Threemilestone, outside Truro, as a new home for the Cornish Pirates rugby team, Truro City Football Club and facilities for Truro and Penwith College.

But no commitment has been made by the government to provide the funding, despite many meetings between the stadium partners, Cornwall Council, Cornwall’s MPs, the government and Sport England.

Image source, Truro and Penwith College

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Matthew Hedges, the student jailed for spying in the United Arab Emirates but later pardoned and released, says he endured "psychological torture" while in prison.

The academic, who lives in Exeter, told the BBC's Today programme that he was asked to act as a double agent in the UK's Foreign Office, and confessed to being a captain in MI6 to stop the "torture".

He also described the moment of his conviction as a total shock that he "wasn't able to process".

The UAE government said the academic, currently studying in Durham, was "100% a spy" but pardoned him on 26 November.

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

A commercial vehicle has been severely damaged by a fire.

Firefighters from Newton Abbot were called to the scene at Ashcombe Cross, Haldon, at about 09:00 and extinguished the blaze, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said, external.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

A 21-year-old man has been charged with arson with intent to endanger life after a fire at a block of flats in Devon.

Crews were called to the Royal Clarence building on Harbour Road in Seaton at about 07:50 on 2 December.

A man who lives on the same street, is due before Exeter Magistrates Court today, Devon and Cornwall Police has said.

Three people were treated by paramedics after the fire ripped through the building, leading to the collapse of a ceiling.

Image source, SGT DAVE T

Ben Woolvin
BBC South West Home Affairs correspondent

A charity which has been given public money to provide a night shelter for rough sleepers in Penzance says its clients are carefully vetted to ensure the facility does not attract homeless people to the town.

The first publicly-funded night shelter in Cornwall has been introduced after the town saw a dramatic increase in levels of aggressive begging.

It has been paid for with government money as part of a commitment to end rough sleeping by 2027.

However, manager Iain Inchley said those staff could only help a limited amount of people...

Harriet Bradshaw
Reporter

An NHS hospital is giving out warm winter coats, socks and toiletries to vulnerable people who arrive at its casualty department.

Staff nurse Jen Turner-Steel came up with the idea after seeing a number of victims of domestic violence arrive without much clothing.

The Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust has been so overwhelmed with donations, it has put a temporary stop on accepting coats because there is limited storage.

Jen Turner-Steel says the scheme helps those most in need...

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

A fire was started deliberately in student accommodation in Exeter, a fire service has said.

Crews were called to The Barn on Cheeke Street at about 21:00 on Tuesday.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze started on the top floor of the seven-storey building after a mattress was set alight.

It added 50% of the corridor on the floor was damaged by fire and completely damaged by smoke.

There was minor water damage to the sixth floor. There are no reports of injuries.

The cause of the fire was deliberate, the fire service added.

Del Crookes
BBC News Online

Image source, Rachel Tony Burnett

A bereavement therapy dog is missing, three days after disappearing, external on a walk with her owners.

Pudding, a 16-week-old dachshund, ran away after being spooked near Puslinch Bridge in Kitley Woods, Yealmpton, at around 10:00 on Sunday.

She works at Plymouth and District Funeral Services in Plymstock giving comfort to people who have lost loved ones.

Dog-lovers have been searching for Pudding but there have been no sightings.

A blanket, food and teddy have been left for her in the woods and a reward is being offered for her safe return.

Del Crookes
BBC News Online

South Devon Railway says £5,000 of equipment was taken during a break-in at Staverton Station.

Thieves broke into the container next to the railway's mess cabin on Tuesday 27 November and took power tools, two chainsaws, an impact wrench worth £2,500, a rail disc cutter and a portable grinder.

They also stole a selection of hand tools, several jerry cans and track greaser equipment.

Earlier this year, vandals broke into the railway at Buckfastleigh, causing £5,000 of damage to a train carriage.

The Times

The PhD student from Exeter convicted of spying in the UAE was forced to stand for whole days in ankle cuffs and was interrogated for up to 15 hours, external at a time during his five-month ordeal, it can be revealed.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

A Christmas tree on top of a van travelling on the A38 at the weekend has been snapped by a speed camera.

A Devon and Cornwall Police officer shared the "shocking" image on Twitter., external

Image source, PC Jane Bickley

PC Jane Bickley has reminded drivers to "consider the suitability" of vehicles if transporting a large load.