downsmail.co.uk


Teenager admits armed robbery


ANarmed robber who threatened a shopkeeper with an air pistol during a raid in Ditton is to be sentenced in February. The 17-year-old offender pleaded guilty to robbery after stealing more than £500 from the One Stop shop in New Road on September 19 last year. The teenager entered the store at 10.15pm dressed in a blue boiler suit, black balaclava and brandish- ing a black pistol. He screamed at the store manager to “take the money out of the till” before run- ning off with £530 and a stock of postage stamps. A person matching the of-


fender’s description was seen rid- ing a mountain bike near the store before and after the robbery. Po- lice officers searched an address in East Malling, where a stash of air gun pellets was discovered. The bike was found at another property, along with a bag con- taining the air pistol, balaclava, stamps and some loose change. A further search of the property then led to the recovery of the


stolen banknotes. A second teenage boy was then arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods and for perverting the course of justice. The teenager responsible for robbing the store made full admis- sions about the offence. He disclosed details of a plan


that included collecting the air pis- tol from a hiding place in a field, and told officers he had loaded it with a pellet. He said the boiler suit had been abandoned under a hedge. He had then cycled to the home


of the second teenager, before telling him what he had done and leaving the bike, weapon and stolen goods there. He will be sentenced at Maid-


stone Crown Court on February 25 after pleading guilty to robbery and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear. The second teenager pleaded


guilty to handling stolen goods and was sentenced to complete a youth offender’s referral order for 12 months.


Wild About Gardens award winners with mayor Sasha Luck Green gardeners rewarded


GREEN-fingered residents fromTonbridge and Mallingwere rewarded for their efforts at the annual Wild About Gardens awards ceremony. Twenty winnerswere presentedwith their certificates formaking their gar-


dens more environmentally friendly andwelcoming to wildlife. The scheme is run jointly withKent WildlifeTrust and theRoyal Horticultural Society and is open to any size of garden. TheMayor of Tonbridge and Malling Cllr Sasha Luck presented certificates


to the borough’s 20 winners at the council offices in Kings Hill. Guest speakerwas Quentin Given fromFriends of the Earth. In Tonbridge and Malling this year, there were five golds, six silver gilts,


three silvers and six bronze awards given to residents, organisations and proj- ects, including St George’s Primary School, Wrotham and Gavin Astor House in the Royal British Legion Village. Amonga number of specialaward winnerswasBrendaBrewer fromMaid-


stone whose urban wildlife gardenwas declared Jewel in the Town. The 2015 entry form isnowavailable as a download, with a closing date of


June 30.


News


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Malling January 2015 3


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