Police crack down on drinkers in town
ALCOHOL was seized and a person or- dered out of town during a police purge on drink-related issues in Maidstone. A team of officers from Kent Police, li- censing officers, a drugs liaison officer and special constables patrolled the town cen- tre throughout the evening as part of a na- tional week of action. Licensing officers and Trading Standards visited a number of licensed premises, to support the initiative aimed at targeting al- cohol-related crimes, and promote alcohol harm reduction. Reports of people drinking and causing anti-social behaviour along the riverside, in Brenchley Gardens and Week Street, led teams to these and other areas in the town as part of the patrol. As a result, alcohol was seized from two
Flat siege man
goes to jail AMANwho barricaded himself in a flat in Sutton Road, Maids- stone, and caused a stand-off with police has been jailed for 14 months. The drama started when Kent
Police force control room re- ceived an “abandoned” 999 call from a flat. Officers attended and found
that 30-year-old Michael Elm- strom had barricaded himself in following an argument with his partner.
Specialist police officers, in- cluding firearms officers and a hostage negotiation team, were called in to support local col- leagues. Various threats of vio- lence were made to officers at the scene, but they forced entry with shields, and Elmstrom was detained. A number of knives were seized from the flat. Elmstrom was charged with
affray and remanded in custody. He admitted the offence and was sentenced to 14 months in prison.
Gardening talk DUSTY Miller will be giving a talk on pest warfare at the meet- ing of Maidstone Horticultural Society at 7.30pm on Thursday, November 7. Visitors and new members are welcome to the event at the Baptist Church Hall, Knightrider Street. Entry costs £2, which includes a light re- freshment. Call 01622 674384
THE 400 walkers who took part in the seventh Moonlit Walk all had their own differ- ent reasons for taking part, but the same purpose: to raise money for the Heart of Kent Hospice. Many of them had seen for themselves how the hospice cares for patients and their families at the end of their lives. Others had heard about the essential services it pro- vides and wanted to “give something back”.
24 Town
groups of people who were causing a nui- sance, and one person was ordered to leave the area. A sniffer dog was also used in the area, although no arrests were made. Police officers, licensing officers and spe-
cial constables provided a high visibility presence across the county during the week, supported by staff in licensed prem- ises.
Assistant chief constable Rob Price said: “Carrying out foot patrols and visiting li- censed premises is part of daily business. As part of the week of action we continued our efforts to deter alcohol-related issues and offer support to thosewho sell alcohol. “Kent is a safe place to live, work and
visit, but there is a minority of people who cause alcohol-related issues during the
night-time economy. This crackdown high- lighted that alcohol-related crime will not be tolerated and we will continue to work with partner agencies to reduce anti-social behaviour and promote alcohol harm re- duction.” Mr Price added: “Excessive drinking can
easily lead to violence or making you more likely to become a victim of crime. It only takes a second to make the right choice and avoid becoming a victim of alcohol-related violence.” He advised: “Walk away from confrontations.” Kent has a number of alcohol control
zones which aim to tackle the issue of nui- sance drinkers. Anyone stopped with alco- hol within these areas can be made to stop drinking immediately by police officers or face arrest.
James is the toast of Mote
AN outstanding all-round perform- ance by James Hodgson was marked when The Mote Cricket Club celebrated a much-improved season at their annual dinner.
James, of Kings Hill, won the
main batting and bowling awards afterhescored820runsduring the Kent League season and also took 27 wickets with his spin bowling.
The club led Division One for
most of the season but finally missed promotion to the Premier Division by only three points – a major improvement on2012when
they had to battle to avoid relega- tion.
Other award winners were: 2nd
XI batting Richard Bradford (382 runs), bowling Richard Gentry (28 wickets); 3rd XI batting Raj Raveendran (307 runs), bowling Josh Sheriston (19wickets). Young Player of the Year was 1st team opening bowler Tom Henson and the most improved young players Fraser Inglis.
A special presentation was
made to Malcolm Bassett to mark 25 years as club secretary.
Hockey star inspires players
class for players, be- fore chatting to youngsters and their parents,
signing
hockey sticks and posing for photo- graphs. She then took part
in a few games. Nikki was a mem-
ber of the Scotland team that played in the European Cup tournament recently in Belgium, playing against England - and scored. She played for a university side last year, but has now joined Canterbury Ladies in the National Premier division. Around 50 players turned up for the day and seven-a-side teams were formed, enabling everybody to play each other.
Walkers’ moonlit jaunt to help hospice The hospice relies heavily on
the generosity of the commu- nity, and the Moonlit Walk, as the hospice’s biggest fundrais- ing event of the year, gave sup- porters an opportunity to have fun under the stars while doing their bit. Dressed mostly in pyjamas or onesies, walkers covered a route of either six or 10 miles from the David Lloyd fitness centre at Kings Hill towards Aylesford. Among them was television presenter Carol
McGiffin, fresh from Celebrity Big Brother. They left after music from local band the Soundcasters and a warm-up routine by dance group Foxy Burlesque. The hospice’s fundraising
and marketing manager, Caro- line Brinkman, said: “It was a fantastic night and we are grateful to everyone who joined us. This is a very important event for us and it was won- derful to see so many people supporting their local hospice.”
SCOTLAND andGB international Nikki Kidd paid a visit to Maid- stone Hockey Club to kick start their club open day. She held a master-
Kings Hill Mote cricketer James Hodgson (left) and club captain Alex Fordham
Widower died three weeks
after fall AN89-year-oldman died in hos- pital more than threeweeks after he fell in his dining room while getting ready to go to church. Widower Peter Milton devel-
oped pneumonia as a result of the injuries he sustained in the fall, an inquest was told. The retired master engraver,
who lived alone, had diabetes and was profoundly deaf, but led an independent life. He used a walking stick at his home in Bower Lane, Maidstone, and a mobility scooter to go shopping. Mr Milton was admitted to hospital onMarch 3. Initially, he appeared to rally while in Maid- stone Hospital but his condition deteriorated and he died on March 27. Recording a verdict of acci-
dental death, coroner Patricia Harding said: “It is clear he fell to the floor, causing injuries as a result of which he died, albeit much later. I am satisfied the chain of events goes back to the fall.” A post mortem examination
foundMrMilton had banged his head in the fall, causing bleed- ing on the brain which started again a number of days later. The coroner confirmed the
cause of death was bilateral pneumonia with subdural haematoma. Contributing factors were heart disease and diabetes.
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