Drug user found dying in street


THE dangers of mixing drink and drugs have been highlighted by the coroner for Mid Kent and Medway, after a 41-year old man was found dying in the street. David Bird, from Willington Street, was


found collapsed outside County Hall on July 30, 2011, after taking a lethal mixture of heroin, methadone and paracetamol. He also took the anti-depressant ven- lafaxine. Mr Bird’s blood alcohol level was one


and a half times the legal limit for driving but, as the blood was taken several hours after the collapse, could well have been higher, the inquest heard. Coroner Patricia Harding said: “The com- bination (of drugs and alcohol) is unpre- dictable and one cannot know how they will affect the body. Mr Bird certainly in- tended to take drugs and alcohol – but his death was unintended.” The inquest heard thatMr Bird had a his- tory of depression and drug and alcohol


Waste service


tops complaints GARDEN waste collections and trips and falls due to new paving in the town centre were among the most complained about issues to Maidstone council between July and Sep- tember last year. The council received 151 complaints from residents, with the waste services depart- ment receiving the most at 31. The number was down from


36 the previous quarter but sub- stantially higher (48%) than the average of 21 per quarter in 2011. People complained about the quality, cost and availability of garden waste sacks, the diffi- culty in manoeuvring wheelie bins and missed collections. A council report to the corpo-


rate services and overview scrutiny committee said the number of complaints was “un- derstandably high”, due to the number of residents who made use of waste removal services. Economic development re- ceived 28 complaints, 25 of them relating to trips and falls on the town centre paving. Independent and council-led


safety assessments raised no safety issues, but the council re- placed granite blocks in the road around the King Street area with black Tarmac tomake the distinction between the pavement and the road clearer and prevent falls. Housing services received 15 complaints, including two about staff fromMark Insulations hard- selling their “Heatseekers” scheme,which was endorsed by the council. After investigation, the council withdrew its en- dorsement.


Environmental enforcement received 12 complaints, park- ing enforcement received 10 and revenues nine. The council also received compliments, including three about the appearance of Mote Park.


20 East


abuse, for which he had a criminal convic- tion. He had been admitted to hospital in October 2010 after taking an overdose of paracetamol, crack cocaine, heroin and al- cohol. His girlfriend, Sam Spikin, whowas also known to the police as a heroin user, told Detective Sergeant Nigel Douglas that they had drunk several cans of cider at the Maidstone River Festival before going to the pharmacy in Week Street to collect their methadone, which they took along with the heroin in an alleyway near County Hall. However, police could find no evidence


of drug usage in the alleyway and DS Dou- glas said he had been told by other drug users that the couple had taken the heroin at a house in Lower Boxley Road. Unfortunately, the trees around County


Hall were obscuring the view from CCTV cameras. Mr Bird was found in a state of collapse


by a passer-by and taken to Maidstone Hos- pitalwhere he remained on life support for two days. Although his heart recovered after 31 minutes, a CT scan and brain stem tests confirmed his brain had suffered irrepara- ble damage and the family agreed to his life support system being switched off. Consultant pathologist Dr David Rouse


said: “The heroin may have reacted with the alcohol and methadone. Alcohol exac- erbates the effect of these drugswith a mul- tiple effect. When you take a combination like this, the effects are difficult to predict in any individual on any given basis. You particularly cannot predict how much morphine there is in street heroin – it can be anything from 8% to 30% in this part of the world.” The coroner recorded a verdict of acci- dental death due to irreversible cerebral hypoxia, brought about by alcohol and mixed drug intoxication.


Orchestra seeks original members ANORCHESTRAishoping to celebrate its50thanniversaryby tracking down musicians who took part in its first performance in 1963. Kent County Youth


Orchestra’s inaugural concert took place at County Grammar School for Girls in Tun- bridgeWellsonAugust 16, 1963, when the conductorwas Bélade Csilléryand the soloist was trumpeter Barry Kerry. The event, pictured above, began with Overture “Oberon” by Weber, followed by A Somerset Rhapsody by Holst and Trumpet Con- certoinEflatbyHaydn. After the interval theorchestra performedSym- phony No. 2 in Cminor by Tchaikovsky. Peter Bolton, chief executive of KentMusic, which now runs Kent’s County Groups, said: “To celebrate KYCO’s anniversary we will revisit the programmeplayed at that first concert ataspecial performanceat Mote Hall, Maidstone, on Saturday, April 6. We would love to get in touch with the musicians who played at that first concert and invite them along to be our special guests at the celebrations. “It will be fascinating to hear people’s stories of their time with the


KCYOand of some of the great concert venues and tours our members have experienced over the years.” Kent Musicwould be delighted to hear from anyonewho has played with KCYO over the past 50 years, particularly if they have gone on to make a career in music. Former KCYO members can share their mem- oriesandpicturesby emailinggdixon@kent-music.com or calling Geoff Dixon on 01622 358402.


No to extension LESLIE Wallis’ application for a two-storey extension at 65 Longham Copse, Downswood, has been refused. Maidstone Council’s decision


notice said: “The proposed ex- tension, by reason of its exces- sive width and scale and its unsympathetic fenestration pat- tern, would overwhelm the original building. “Due to its excessive propor-


tion it would result in an overdevelopment of the site that would unbalance the semi- detached dwellings and appear out of keeping with the sur- roundings.”


Application refused THE proposed extension of a games room in Ringstead, Mar- ley Road, Harrietsham, has been blocked. Maidstone Council’s decision


notice said Rupe Channa’s plan would have caused harm to the appearance of the countryside and could have led to an addi- tional independent dwelling – contrary to policy.


£1.8m for academy new build


INVICTA Grammar School has secured £1.8m in funding from the Department for Education for an English and performing arts building at its Huntsman Lane campus. Work is due to start this month, with completion sched- uled for October 2013. The block, to be known as the


Izatt building after one of the school’s vice-chair of governors David Izatt,will have eight Eng- lish rooms, two media rooms, a reading room, a dance studio and a drama studio. It replaces the “pod” and “podlet”, which were built some years ago as temporary homes for the English department. Headmistress Julie Derrick said: “The growth in dance and


which will be replaced by new courts in November 2013. Mrs Derrick said: “Our stu-


drama at Invicta has necessi- tated new facilities, especially dancewhich hashadahuge growth in the last couple of years. This will be a fantastic resource for both our students and staff.” Students at the school have


been involved in the design for the reading room, which will complement the school’s re- search library, and on World Book Day (March 7), students will raise funds to buy books for the room. The centre will be built on the site of the tennis courts,


dentswill benefit from not only great new internal teaching rooms, but external space as well.” The school is now putting to-


gether a bid to the DfE for fund- ing for a new sports hall. Both projects have been the result of the school obtaining academy status. Mrs Derrick said: “We would


not have had such a great oppor- tunity without the academy funding.”


Neighbouring Valley Park, which forms part of the acad- emy, has also been successful in winning a bid for £3.1 mil- lion for a new building.


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