Local News

Members of an organised local crime gang, who stole diggers and trailers worth a total of more than £185,000, have been jailed.

Matthew Butler, 36, of South Street Road, in Stockbury; Nigel Black, 52, of Warden Road in Eastchurch and Ashley Austin, 24, of Essex Road in Maidstone, were all involved in the thefts from a storage compound in Bircholt Road, Maidstone, in December 2012.

Butler pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to steal but was convicted following a trial last month. He was jailed for four years when he appeared at Maidstone Crown Court for sentencing on Friday (7th November).

Black pleaded guilty to theft and was jailed for three years, while Austin admitted the same charge and received a custodial sentence of two years and seven months.

A fourth man - Grant Hodgson, 34, of Warden Road in Eastchurch - has also pleaded guilty to theft and will be sentenced later this month.

The court heard how 12 Cat mini-diggers worth about £14,000 each and 12 trailers worth £1,600 each were discovered stolen by staff who arrived at the storage compound on Monday 10th December 2012. The chains locking the front gates had also been cut and four vehicle registration plates stolen. In the early hours of Wednesday 12 December, electronic trackers installed on the machines led Kent Police to a lorry in Lodge Road, Staplehurst, which contained the diggers.

Black, who was standing next to the vehicle, and Austin, who was lying beneath it, were both arrested at the scene. Hodgson was also present but attempted to run away from officers before jumping off a 10ft-high wall - breaking his back as a result. Despite his injuries Hodgson attempted to escape on a train from Staplehurst railway station but was arrested on board and taken to hospital.

The lorry, on which the diggers were found, was traced back to Butler - a known associate of the three co-defendants - who had purchased the vehicle a month before from a dealership in Suffolk but had registered it in somebody else's name.

Investigating Officer, Detective Constable Becky Saunders, told SFM News: "This was a complex case that took two years to piece together so I am very pleased that those responsible are now behind bars. These four men are repeat offenders specialising in vehicle crime so it will come as a relief to law-abiding members of the public that they are now off our streets."

Kent Police are appealing for witnesses following a single vehicle collision on the M2, near Sittingbourne, in which six people were reportedly injured.

A silver Nissan Estate, carrying eight people including the driver, overturned on the London-bound carriageway of the M2, between junction 5 and the Medway Services, at 9.45pm on Saturday 11th October. The carriageway was closed while emergency services dealt with the incident and debris was cleared from the road. Lane 2 was reopened at 11.25pm and the carriageway was fully reopened at around midnight.

Six people were taken to hospital, with one of them thought to have suffered a serious injury.

Witnesses to the incident, or anyone who saw the vehicle prior to the incident, are asked to contact PC Chris Godden at Kent Police by calling 01622 798571 and quoting reference: 1011-1625.

Local charity, Litter Angels, has launched a new initiative on Facebook to get members of the public to report areas of litter and work together to clean up their communities.

The Facebook group, called 'Litter Angels Litter Watch', has been set up as a dedicated place for members of the public to report litter related issues affecting Sittingbourne and Sheppey. Those issues will then be investigated and a team of volunteers will be found to litter pick the area as soon as possible using equipment owned by Litter Angels. A photo from the litter pick and any interesting statistics will be posted to all users afterwards.

Local MP for Sittingbourne & Sheppey, Gordon Henderson and the Chairman of Litter Angels, told SFM News "Litter Angels had a very successful year visiting 20 primary schools during September and October to run anti-litter poster workshops. In addition we had the Litter Angels story published as a paperback book and this has been well received. Members of the Litter Angels team have noticed a number of posts on different Facebook pages and groups about litter related issues, which is why we have decided to launch our own dedicated Facebook group. I hope members of the public will now use the Litter Angels Litter Watch group so that action can be taken to clear it as soon as possible. Together we can make Sittingbourne and Sheppey a clean and tidy place of which we can be proud."

The Facebook group can be found by visiting www.facebook.com/groups/380076075472711. If anyone would like to volunteer to help resolve the litter problems posted, they are asked to message the administrators of the group.

Designated police vehicles will be out across Swale in the days leading up to Halloween targeting anti-social behaviour hotspots.

Kent Police are running specialised operations to deter and reduce behaviour likely to harass and alarm members of the public and dedicated patrol cars will be on hand to respond to calls.
Officers will be out in areas that have previously experienced particular problems during the Halloween period to ensure young people behave responsibly. These include town centres, parks and play areas, and officers will be communicating with local businesses and enforcing ongoing dispersal areas to move on groups of people who may be intimidating members of the public.

Swale's District Commander, Chief Inspector Tony Henley, told SFM News: "We want our residents to have fun this Halloween and we don't want to spoil anyone's good time, but it's equally important to remember that our more elderly or vulnerable residents can be left distressed by Halloween pranks carried out by the minority of people. Having dedicated cars around Sittingbourne, Faversham and Sheppey to respond to calls, alongside high visibility patrols, will hopefully reduce Halloween-related issues. In the past, these have included incidents of criminal damage and intimidation. People have also thrown eggs and flour at residents and properties, so we have put in place measures to ensure selling of these items during the Halloween period is closely monitored. Parents are reminded of the importance of supervising their children during Halloween and, where possible, accompany them on trick-or-treating visits. There are posters that can be placed in doors and windows to advise trick-or-treaters not to call at your property and our officers will be out and about to ensure these requests are respected."

For more advice, visit www.kent.police.uk/advice/seasonal_advice/autumn_halloween.html.

Posters advertising for declining trick-or-treating can also be downloaded from this address.