Blackmailer jailed after bomb hoax
A MAN who planted a fake bomb at aMaidstone su- permarket and demanded £10,000 from the store has been jailed. David Williams (48), previously of Knaves Acre, Headcorn, called Morrisons in St Saviour’s Way, Maidstone. He said he had placed several devices in the store and that £10,000 needed to be taken to Headcorn railway station. He said that if they didn’t believe him they should check aisle 23 of the store. The calls were traced to telephone
kiosks in Maidstone town centre. Staff at the store checked the aisle and found a box- containing a plastic box with a flashing light attached. The store and its petrol station were evacuated and the Army bomb disposal team was called. CCTV showed a man entering the Morrisons store earlier that day and buying a Morrisons own-brand Christmas card. AfterWilliams was identified as the suspect, his house was searched and officers recov- ered the card, which was addressed to his partner. Williams was charged with blackmail and was sen- tenced by Maidstone Crown to two years and eight months in prison. Detective Inspector Lee Whitehead, from the Kent
and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “This in- cident caused a lot of unnecessary concern for inno- cent people and took up a significant amount of police resources. Blackmail is a very serious offence, and I’m pleased that the courts punished Williams with a custodial sentence.”
Joan is VIP guest at fete
A GIFT of a gold-plated litter pickerwas pre- sented to Staplehurst’s one-woman “clean sweep” tomark30yearsasamemberof the parish council. Cllr Joan Buller (right) was asked to open
this year’s Staplehurst Carnival to com- memorate her dedication to the village. Joan is well-known in the village for her
one-woman campaign to keep Staplehurst clean, so the litter picking tool seemed en- tirely appropriate. It was presented to her at the annual
parish meeting in May – but she brought it along on carnival day so everyone had a chance to see it. Following last year’shugely successful Ju-
bilee events, the committee this year de- cided to provide free evening entertainment – something which had proved hugely popular last year. The Swinging Sixties made a return visit to entertain families during the afternoon
Pictures: John Reardon
while an Abba tribute band played in the evening. Youngmagician Sam Beedlewas among the other fascinating acts, while tree sculp- tor andwood carver Stephen Andrews brought along some of his “tribal animals”.
The Abba tribute band and right, the stall of the 3rd Staplehurst Guides
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