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Teenager jailed for armed aack
ATEENAGERhas been jailed after he threatened a shopkeeper with an air pistol during a raid in Ditton. The 17-year-old was sentenced to
three years and four months after stealing more than £500 from the One Stop shop inNewRoad in Sep- tember 2014. The offender entered the store dressed in a blue boiler suit, bala- clava and brandishing a pistol. He screamed threats at the store man- ager before leaving with £530 and postage stamps. Enquiries by Kent Police led offi-
cers to an address in East Malling, where a stash of air gun pelletswas discovered and the offender was identified and arrested. A nearby property was searched, which was home to someone the teenager knew. Here, the air pistol was dis- covered along with the balaclava, stamps and loose change. A second teenage male was ar-
rested on suspicion of handling stolen goods and for perverting the course of
justice.Afurther search of the property led to the recovery of
the stolen banknotes. The teenager responsible for the robbery admitted the offence to po- lice, revealing plans which included collecting the air pistol from a hiding place in a field. He said the boiler suit had been disposed of under a hedge. He had then ridden to the home of the second teenager, before telling him what he had done and leaving the bike,weapon and stolen goods there. He was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court, having previously pleaded guilty to robbery and to possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. Detective Constable Ally Morgan
said: “This robbery has had devas- tating and long-lasting effects on the victim. The courts have passed a strong sentence for what was a first offence and I hope it will provide the victim with the reassurance that jus- tice has now been served.” The second teenager admitted handling stolen goods andwas sen- tenced to complete a youth of- fender’s referral order for 12 months.
Lunch for the homeless
HOMELESS Care clients were given a treat when care home caterer Apetito took over the kitchens of the day centre in Knightrider Street, Maidstone. The company’s key accountmanager Lisa Delaney, fromMaidstone, and
Jackie Monk, cooked meals for the 38 men and women who use the service. Lisa said: “I was delighted
to provide this event for the homeless and vulnerable. They were lovely people and were clearly very appreciative of the day centre staff and all the support they give them in these difficult times.” Mike FitzGerald, chairman
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Jackie Monk, Dee Cook from the day centre, Mike FitzGerald and Lisa Delaney
of the trustees, said: “Iwas privileged to seehowsuccessful and uplifting this was for our clients andmy thanks and appreciation go to Lisa, Jackie, and the team at Apetito whomade this possible.” The day centre hopes this eventmight now be repeated throughout the
year. Salvation Army’s new chief
CAPTAIN Lynne Clifton takes over as the new commanding offi- cer of the Salvation Army’s Maid- stone Corps on June 1. The 40-year-old, from Maidstone, currently serves as its family min- istries officer and has helped grow the work of the church in this area. Commanding officers Major GraysonWilliams (65) and his wife Janice (67), of St Luke’s Road, Maidstone, will retire at the end of
May and are looking forward to moving to Southampton to be near family. MajorWilliams and his wife have
been involved in the Salvation Army for 30 years and have held posts in Yorkshire, the Midlands and Harare in Zimbabwe. They be- came commanding officers in Maidstone seven years ago. He said: “We will be praying for Linda’s continued success.”
01622 902005 Malling April 2015 17
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