Funding for businesses
Tragic Shruti’s cocaine suicide
GROWING businesses in Maid- stonewillsoonbeabletobid for a share of a £5.5m growth fund.
Businesses that can demon-
strate they are ‘on the up’ will be able to bid for interest-free loans of up to £150,000 – with the potential to tap into a fur- ther £150,000 from KCC. The council is one of the first
to gain a grant from the regional growth fund in the latest round of bidding. Announcing the news to the
NRBF business forum in Marden, Malcolm Greer, cabi- net member for economic de- velopment, said: “This will be a real fillip to local businesses when it comes online in November.
Age problem for flats
DANEFIELD Court in Church Lane, Bearsted is struggling to attract buyers, according to a planning application. At one point seven of the 16 retirement flats were empty. The residents’ association bla- mes a planning condition re- stricting principle occupiers to a minimum age of 60 and co- habitees no younger than 55. The group’s application is for
these ages to be reduced to 55 and 50 respectively. Maidstone Council will de- termine the application.
A BRIGHT young student who died from a high dose of co- caine had written “Take my or- gans” in red ink on her wrist. Shruti Baral (22), was found
on her bedroom floor by her 17- year-old brother Satchet on Feb- ruary 17, at the home they shared with their mother in Emsworth Grove, Vinters Park. Shortly before her death, the geography undergraduate had posted a picture of herself on Facebook with the message “Re- member me”. A Maidstone inquest heard
that she left handwritten docu- ments in her room in which she mentioned suicide methods, as well as property she wished to bequeath. Detective Constable David
Taft said there was no evidence of suspicious circumstances or third party involvement. Shruti, a former Invicta Gram-
mar School pupil, was not in the habit of taking drugs. De- spite her happy exterior, she
suffered from depression and had sought help from her uni- versity’s psychological services unit in London. Dr David Rouse, who con- ducted a post mortem examina- tion, said she died from cocaine poisoning. Analysis of the drug found in her room revealed a relatively high purity of 69%. Her boyfriend, Benjamin Pakhrin, who had known her
Barn may become holiday homes GARY Parbutt has applied to convert a barn in White Hill Road, Detling, into three holiday units. Magpie Barn, north of Magpie Bungalow, is der-
elict having previously been used as a commercial unit by a scaffolding company. There would be one five-bedroom unit and two of three bedrooms. Maidstone Council will determine the planning application.
for more than two years, said she told him she had sought help for her depression, but did not want to talk about her prob- lems. On the night before she was
found dead, she had sent him and some close friends a text asking: “What would you re- member me by if I were to die tomorrow?” Early next morning, he no-
ticed she had updated her Face- book page, which had been deactivated, with a picture and message asking people to re- member her. He tried to contact her, but got no reply. Mid Kent Coroner Patricia Harding said Shruti suffered from “a very private depres- sion”, adding: “her public face was one of a very happy bright young lady”. Recording a verdict that she
killed herself, the coroner said: “I am satisfied that she died by a deliberate act with the inten- tion of causing her death.”
Homeowner can remove tree ARTHUR Houston has been given conservation area consent to remove a leyland cypress on the southern boundary of Bank Yard, Lenham. His application form said the tree was poten-
tially damaging boundary walls. Maidstone Council raised no objection to the application, which also included the reduction of the height of a holly tree to 2m.
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