downsmail.co.uk


News Store burglars le trail of clues


TWO bungling burglars who al- most got stuck as they tried to pull their £5,000 haul of cigarettes and sweets through a West Malling shop window left a trail of clues that landed them in court. Stan Abbey (29), of Priestfield


Road, Gillinghamwas jailed for two years and 12weeks and Ian Thomas (35), ofWordsworthWay, Dartford was sentenced to 18 months in jail, suspended for two years. The pair targeted Martin’s newsagents in High Street, West Malling, in the early hours of Tues- day, January 14, Maidstone Crown Courtwas told. Three men arrived outside the shop just before 12.40am in a silver


Saab estate. Thomas and Abbey got out of the car and threw a paving slab through the shop’s door win- dow to gain ac- cess. They stole a large quantity of cigarettes and to- bacco worth more than £5,000 as well as sweets valued at over £90.


Stan Abbey They left the


shop, struggling to fit the bag full of tobacco through the broken glass, before escaping in the Saab with the unknown driver. At junction 3 of the M2, a police patrol chased the vehicle before los-


ing it in TaddingtonWood Lane. It was later found abandoned


with the bag of cigarettes inside. The vehicle, which had been stolen from London, had been displaying sev- eral sets of false number plates, and hadAbbey’s and Thomas’s prints all over it.At 4.10am a further cigarette burglary took place at a Gillingham shop. Both men admitted the West Malling burglary and Abbey also pleaded guilty to two burglaries at the Co-op in Gillingham Road, Gillingham. Detective Sergeant Jon Faulkner


said: “Abbey and Thomas were de- termined to make some money in the early hours of January 14.


Pupils’ bright ideas help to savewater


WATER efficiency ideas are flowing from pupils of Aylesford School Sports College. The school was the first to take up


South East Water’s Aqua Innova- tion challenge, to tackle the issues of water efficiency, conservation and sustainability. Pupils in key stage three, aged 11


to 14, created innovative water sav- ing projects including designs for ac-


tual products. They will present them at a celebration event to be


STONE GREEN NURSERIES www.stonegreennurseries.co.uk


We grow our fantastic range of plants with passion and pride for garden designers, landscapers, local nurseries, farm shops and other horticulture outlets.


Wholesale Nursery open to the public May 30th - 31st, 1st June and July 4th - 6th


We have a truly exquisite selection to offer you from the tried and tested to the more unusual. Huge range and fair prices


We invite you to our open days


Your selection will come from our growing beds, you can’t buy fresher


If you have a taste for plants we can offer you a feast.


*Shrubs*Trees*Herbaceous perennials*Climbers* *Large plants for instant impact* 9am-5pm Fri, Sat, Sun and BHM.


Truly a gardener’s paradise Pluckley Road Bethersden TN26 3ET


Please remember we are only open on these dates We accept most major credit cards


For detailed directions please use website Follow day –glow signs from A20 at Charing and A28 at Bethersden


Invicta Summer Party


Alumni


Former students and staff are warmly invited to our alumni social event which will be a fantastic opportunity to catch up with old friends and share memories


Friday, 13 June 2014


Refreshments and live music from 7pm


Please register your interest via our online form, telephone, email or in writing to the 


http://bookings.invicta.kent.sch.uk


Tel: 01622 755856 E-mail: alumni@invicta.kent.sch.uk Huntsman Lane, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 5DS


Malling May 2014 11


held at the end of term. Christine King, campaign and


media manager for South East Water, said: “The children have come up with some excellent ideas on how money and energy can be saved by using less water. “In June theywill see just how rain


water arrives at a tap during a be- hind the scenes tour of Bewl Water treatment works.”


“The burglary in West Malling


was pre-planned and involved the use of a stolen vehicle. But far from being cunning, they were brought downby theirownstupidity and by the hard work of my investigation team.


“They left fingerprints all over the


Saab, almost got stuck trying to squeeze their haul through the shat- tered window of Martin’s Newsagents and accrued parking fines outside one of their home ad- dresses for a stolen car. “ThenAbbey, having lost his haul


fromWest Malling, decided to tar- get a similar shop around the corner from his home – one he had burgled only a fewweeks earlier.”


Riverside run THEthird Maidstone RiversideRun is due to take place on Sunday, June 8 in aid of Cancer Research UK. Registration is from8am– 9.45am,


at David Lloyd’s Health Club in Lockmeadow. Runners will then take the 10am train from Maidstone West to Wateringbury, before run- ning back along the river. Entry is £12 in advance or £15 on


the day and all money, with the ex- ception of the rail ticket, goes to Can- cer Research UK.


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