Local News

Members of an organised crime gang who burgled stables acrossthe county have been jailed.

Frank Matthews, Jimmy Price and Lewis Collins were arrested after they conspired to steal horse equipment valued at around £100,000 at up to eight separate properties between 3rd May and 17th May 2020.

The gang targeted stables and other rural premises during the hours of darkness in areas including Sittingbourne, Faversham, Paddock Wood, East Peckham, Mereworth, Blue Bell Hill, Kemsing and Maidstone. Forcing open doors and disabling alarms, the men stole equine equipment before making off in vehicles, sometimes across open fields

After a break-in at stables near Bearsted, Maidstone on Sunday 17th May 2020, investigators identified the suspects had been using a Vauxhall Zafira.

On the following day a patrol saw the vehicle in Cranbourne Avenue, Maidstone and indicated for the driver to stop. The driver, Matthews, did not stop and drove dangerously through residential areas until the vehicle came to a halt in Woolley Road due to a mechanical issue. Officers, who had been pursuing the vehicle, arrested Matthews and his two passengers, Price and Collins.

Following a complex investigation, detectives were able to prove all three had been responsible for several break-ins. Matthews, of Crispin Court, Coxheath admitted eight burglaries; Collins of Clare Place, Maidstone admitted six and Price of Well Street, Loose admitted involvement in seven. They were charged with conspiracy to burgle and Matthews was also charged with dangerous driving.

All pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court. On Friday (3rd February 2023), 27-year-old Matthews was jailed for two years and three months, 28-year-old Price was jailed for two years and four months and 25-year-old Collins received a sentence of one year and six months, suspended for two years.

Detective Constable Rob Fagg, of the Chief Constable’s Crime Squad, told SFM News: "These men targeted remote rural locations to steal a considerable amount of equine equipment from horse owners. The victims will have spent many years collecting expensive saddles, tack and in some cases specialist equipment, and the loss would have been hard to bear. The damage this gang caused at the break-ins would also have been expensive to repair and I have no doubt they did not spare a thought for the impact their crimes would have on the victims. A prison sentence for two members of this crime gang is entirely appropriate."

Broadband users in the Eden Village area of Sittingbourne have been experiencing outages with their broadband over the past week.

It is believed that the main Open Reach infrastructure in the area is to blame. Cabinet 77, which is the one covering the roads affected, has been relying on batteries that should operate in short power outages, to allow broadband and now digital voice services to continue to operate.

Open Reach have confirmed to SFM News that a part, that controls all the power in the cabinet, has been ordered but "may take time to arrive". In the meantime engineers are having to regularly visit the cabinet to replace the batteries.

Unfortunately residents in Eden Village have learnt how long those batteries last and the time it takes to swap them out, resulting in outages lasting 30 to 45 minutes affecting customers of BT, TalkTalk and Sky - who all use the Open Reach infrastructure.

For those working from home, or running a business, gaps in service can cause all sorts of problems and the 'Think Broadband' website suggests that when broadband is critical it is worth having a back-up option, such as:

• Connecting your laptop to the mobile hot-spot on your mobile phone.
• Using a broadband router that has a built in 4G/5G SIM with automatic failover, or more commonly support a USB mobile dongle.
• You can installing a second broadband connection ahead of time, making sure it uses a different technology e.g. ADSL2+ instead of FTTC, or cable broadband instead of FTTC. This incurs an additional monthly cost, but if you're working from home routinely some firms will pay for a second connection, particularly as a dedicated connection can avoid contention caused by others in the home.

We will be updating you with the latest on this story as and when we have it.

A Sittingbourne man has been charged in connection with a series of burglary and theft offences including several break-ins at The Central Park Greyhound Stadium.

It is alleged that between Sunday 1st and Monday 2nd January 2023, entry was repeatedly forced to bar areas inside the stadium in Murston and that alcohol, including multiple bottles of spirits, was stolen. Three laptops and a tip jar containing around £100 were also reportedly taken, with damage to the Church Road premises estimated in the region of several thousand pounds.

Officers from the Swale Local Policing Team have also been investigating allegations that yesterday (Monday 30th January) a man walking around Bourne Place car park in Sittingbourne had been seen trying a number of vehicle door handles. The suspect is also alleged to have tried to steal a bike from outside Sittingbourne train station.

On the same day, Liam Wood was arrested and taken into custody. Aged 32 and of Crown Quay Lane, Sittingbourne, he was later charged with four counts of burglary, going equipped for theft, two counts of vehicle interference and with the attempted theft of a bicycle. He was also charged with possession of a knife in a public place.

The suspect has been remanded in custody to appear before Medway Magistrates’ Court later today (Tuesday 31st January).

Detectives are appealing for witnesses to a serious assault in Faversham yesterday (Wednesday 25th January) evening.

Between 5pm and 5.20pm a silver BMW, driving along Lower Road, is reported to have been driven at a man standing on the pavement.

It is alleged some men got out of the vehicle and chased the victim into St Paul’s Avenue where he suffered an injury consistent with a stab wound.

The 19-year-old was taken to a London hospital where he remains in a stable condition. It is thought the victim and the suspects were known to each other.

Earlier today (Thursday 26th Janauary) a 40-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault and taken into custody.

Detective Inspector Pete Smith told SFM News: ‘An investigation is underway into the circumstances including house-to-house enquiries in the area. We are urging witnesses or anybody with information to call our appeal line. Motorists with dashcam and residents with private CCTV are also asked to check for relevant footage.’"

Anyone with any information is asked to call 01795 419 119, quoting reference 46/15282/23 or, alternatively, they can contact Crimestoppers free and anonymously on 0800 555 111, or by using the online form on their website.