Thieves lift two stone lions


POLICE believe two massive stone lions taken from the grounds Preston Hall, at Aylesford,may have been stolen to order. Theantique sculptures, estimatedtobe


worth £100,000 each, were taken from outside the Grade II-listed formerhospital next to theRoyal British Legion Village at 10.27pm on Sunday, October 27. Each sandstone carving is1mtall, hav-


ing sat on plinths either side of the main entrance. One depicts a lion killing a snake (pictured), and the other is of a li- oness with her cub. They were sculpted by John Thomas RA in 1838. Staff at the estate noticed they were missing in the early hours of October 28. CCTV footage showed three men with a large low loader vehicle acting suspi- ciously at the entrance shortly before 10:30pm the night before. Kent Police enquiries linked the inci-


Fraud alleged THE former boss of Age Con- cern in West Malling will ap- pear before Maidstone Crown Court on November 29. Austin (62) was arrested at


the charity’s Norman Road branch in September 2011 and is charged with siphoning more than £217,000 from the organi- sation’s funds. Delays surrounding the fraud


case are thought to centre on the paperwork, involving bank statements going back a number of years. Austin is also now thought to have cancer.


dent to the theft of a white Isuzu lorry from nearby Lake Road in Quarry Wood, earlier thatnight. Itwas foundabandoned in Rochester Road, Burham. Insp Nick Sparkes said: “These statues


were possibly stolen to order. They may have been taken out of Kent so we en- courage any antique or garden ornament sellers to be aware of them. “We have been able to recover the


stolen vehicle, thanks to the fact it was fitted withatracker, but are appealing to thepublic tohelpus find themissing stat- ues.” The statues are the property of the


NHS, which owns the grounds and hospi- tal buildings. Anyonewithany information should call


PC Nick Pell on 01622 604284 quoting crime number YY/21487/13, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.


Protest at Kings Hill homes


RESIDENTS at Kings Hill have formed a group to voice their concerns over the proposed ex- pansion of the area by almost 1,000 new homes. Organisers say it has become much clearer


over the last few months that Liberty Property Trust’s plans for phase 3 of the development would seriously affect the quality of life of peo- ple living in the area. The group held its first meeting in October,


and a second one is planned later this month. Founder member Karen Jones said: “There are


real concerns about the mix of social housing and the locations of the petrol station, school and retirement home. “We feel it’s a very ill-thought out plan.We are


also concerned about the impact it will have on traffic in the surrounding parishes. “Wewould like to hear from professionalswho


have expertise in fields related to planning so that if and when Tonbridge and Malling hold a meeting, we will have a co-ordinated and well- thought out response.” Public consultation is continuing on Liberty’s outline planning application to Tonbridge and Malling Council for a major scheme including 975 homes. The finals proposals are not expected to go be-


fore councillors until next year. The new group can be contacted by email at residentsofkingshillgroup@hotmail.co.uk.


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