Inquest fails to explain biker’s death


MID-Kent Coroner Roger Sykes “expressed his regret” at being unable to explain the death of Harrietsham motorcyclist Darren Saunders (36) in a road accident in Maid- stone.


Father-of-three Mr Saunders, of Polhill


Lane, lost control of his Kawasaki motor- bike and collided into a bus shelter near the Cherry Tree Inn in Tonbridge Road on the afternoon of Saturday, March 27, last year. He died that day of multiple injuries. One witness said Mr Saunders, a builder,


lost control of his vehicle after being ob- structed by an unidentified green car also travelling towards Maidstone. Another sug- gestion was that he came off his bike while trying to avoid a grey Peugeot 3008 going in the other direction, which may have turned


into his path en route to the nearby dry- cleaners. Mr Sykes said there was not enough evi-


dence to back either explanation and deliv- ered a verdict of accidental death. Neil Smith told the court that he was driv-


ing the Peugeot car westbound and had come to a standstill at traffic lights at the junction of Queens Road. His girlfriend Kimberley Wratten alerted him to a motor- bike approaching from the other side of the Tonbridge Road. They both said that when the lights changed to green, Mr Smith indicated to turn right but was still stationary by the time Mr Saunders had crashed. Other wit- nesses agreed that the car had not gone into the path of the victim.


Queen Mother’s piper plays for shoppers


THE distinctive drone of bagpipes greeted shop- pers for the relaunch of a store at Newnham Court. John Spoore brought the sound of the Highlands


to the Edinburgh Woollen Mill and transformed an otherwise dreary Saturday. The former personal piper to the Queen Mother


was a big hit with visitors to the revamped mini- department store. John, who lives inWigmore, held the privileged


position for six years from 1985. He was such a favourite with the Queen Mother that he was in- vited by Buckingham Palace to play at her West- minster Abbey funeral in 2002. “She was a wonderful lady,” said John. Pictured helping out at the Newnham Court


Car key swapped


by two conmen POLICE are investigating a sus- pected scam where two men test drove a vehicle which was advertised for sale and returned it to the owner with a fake key. The incident, which hap-


pened in Downswood, was in- cluded in the monthly crime report to the parish council. Two Asian men carried out a


test drive and handed back the key to the owner, saying they wanted to get a deposit for the vehicle, but did not return. When the owner tried the key


in the vehicle, he realised they had swapped it for a fake. Po- lice suspect the key had been taken with a view to stealing the vehicle later.


Jump in jobless


MAIDSTONE’S unemployment total shot up by 152 to 2,265 in January, a rise of 7.2% com- pared to the Kent-wide rise of 6.1%.


TOUGH SECURITY • FRIENDLY SERVICE


event were three generations of the Giles family - Ellie (6), mum Cheryl and grandparents, Geoff and Ann, all dressed in Edinburgh Woollen Mill clothes.


Drink-driver gets 12-month ban


NICHOLAS Rowlinson (40) of Ashford Road, Maidstone, was given a suspended prison sentence for driving while over twice the legal drink-drive limit. He drove a grey S-reg VW Golf in East Hall Hill, Boughton Monchelsea, in September last year with a reading of 84mg of al- cohol in 100ml of breath; the legal limit is 35mg. Rowlinson was given a 12-month driving ban and supervision


order, and was committed to prison for 30 days, suspended for 12 months. He was ordered to pay £85 costs.


Beat the criminals IF YOU CAN HELP, PLEASE PHONE: Police: 01622 690690 Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111


TWO well-concealed, cast- iron scythe machines were stolen from a garden in Headcorn


Road,


Grafty Green. Sus- pect: Male with blonde hair, wear- ing a shooting- style camouflaged jacket. He loaded the items into a G- reg Ford Transit pick up. A ladder and bag of foot-


01622 716222 www.amiga.uk.com


INTRUDER ALARMS • ACCESS CONTROL CCTV • SECURITY LIGHTS • FIRE ALARMS


24 East


balls were stolen from a con- tainer in Upper Street, Leeds. A blue and white Yamaha motorcycle was stolen from a garage in Chapman Avenue, Senacre. The suspects were two male youths. A bank card was stolen


from a semi-detached home in StWelcumesWay, Harriet- sham, by a person posing as a


police official. Suspect: be- tween 30 to 40, wearing a flat cap and a dark coloured suit.


A property was burgled in Grove Green


Weavering,


Lane, Of-


fenders took a mo- bile phone and TV among other items. A hand tool was


stolen from an outbuild-


ing in Hook Lane, Hucking. A suspect vehicle was described as an M-reg Suzuki Vitara es- tate. A Husqvarna saw was


stolen in a shed break-in in Otham Lane, Otham. An amount of cash in Euros


were stolen from a home in Old Chatham Road, Sandling. Entry was made via an inse- cure window.


However, witnessGeorge Crozer said he


saw the incident from a black BMW motor- cycle he was riding towards Barming. He became aware of a small dark green


car, which indicated it was turning left into the entrance of the block of flats behind the row of shops, so the lead motorcyclist tried to overtake it. “However, the car then turned towards


the centre of the road to get a better angle for the turn, so the motorbike had nowhere to go and swerved to the inside. As he passed the green car he clipped the kerb and lost control.” Mr Crozer said the car stopped in the cen-


tre of the carriageway and the lady behind the wheel just sat in the car with her hands on the wheel. However, CCTV footage from


the nearby pub failed to iden- tify this green car and there were no other witness state- ments confirming it. PC Mick Sayer said: “I checked local authority road cameras, made automatic num- ber plate recognition checks and made appeals in the local media. Everything we tried to do to find witnesses or details on the green car came to noth- ing.” The court heard that Mr Saunders was an experienced rider and considered compe- tent by his peers. Mr Sykes summarised: “I


have heard evidence from six witnesses who were present at the scene when this loss of con- trol took place and other wit- nesses have been spoken to by police. Yet there is no coherent thread to their evidence. “I am unable to produce a reason that explains the loss of control but am satisfied that he died of an accident.”


Bearsted Scouts mark centenary


NEXT year marks the 100th an- niversary of the Bearsted Scout Group. A celebration is being arranged, including special events and a history of the Scar- let Pimpernels. Any former members of the Bearsted Scout Group are greatly welcomed to attend and share any information or mem- ories from the past 100 years as a Beaver, Cub or Scout. Call Kate on 01622 730444.


Cricket practice BEARSTED Cricket Club is holding winter net practice at New Line Learning Academy on Sunday afternoons between March 13 and April 17. Info: Steve Pearce – 07740 796 003.


Snow preparation BEARSTED parish council chairman Cllr Chris Dyke said he would spend money from his member’s allowance on a snow plough attachment to be used in bad weather.


Garage to room A PLAN has been submitted to convert a garage into a habit- able room at a home in Podkin Wood, LordsWood.


You can e-mail the Downs Mail — info@downsmail.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48