News Police assault


woman jailed A WOMAN who assaulted six po- lice officers has been sent to prison. Kayley Skelton (29) was sen-


tenced on at Mid Kent Magistrates’ Court where she admitted criminal damage but denied six counts of as- saulting a police officer and one count of assaulting a person assist- ing a police officer. However, she was convicted of the offences. On May 27, 2016, Skelton as- saulted three police officers and a person assisting a police officer at a council building in King Street, Maidstone. On June 16, 2016, she assaulted a police officer in the same council building. Between June 21 and 22, 2016, she damaged a window at a service sta- tion in Sutton Road, Maidstone. OnJuly 4, 2016, she assaulted two


police officers at an address in Sut- ton Road, Maidstone. Magistrates sentenced Skelton, of Herne Bay, to 30 days in prison.


Kane drive ban ADRUNKwho drove almost twice the legal limit for drink has been banned from the roads. Taylor Kane (25)was sentenced at


Mid Kent Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty to drink-driving. On October 8, 2016, Kane, of


Bower Mount Road, Maidstone, drove a Mini in Earl Street, Maid- stone, and gave a urine test of 205mg of alcohol in 100ml of urine. The legal limit is 107mg. Magistrates banned him from driving for 20 months.He must also pay a £270 fine, £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge. Disqualification can be reduced


by 153 days if he completes a course approved by the secretary of state.


Jump threat


A MAN who threatened to jump from the roof of the The Mall shop- ping centre in Maidstone has been taken to hospital. Kent Police were called at about


9am on January 5, after reports that he was poised to take his own life. The man, thought to be in his 30s or 40s, was in the car park in King Street. Trained officers persuaded to him to come down and he is now in Maidstone Hospital.


Hospital crash


AN ELDERLY woman accidentally drove her car into the oncology unit of Maidstone Hospital. Police confirmed that a Kia Pi-


canto smashed through the glass entrance doors at the unit before coming to a halt inside on Decem- ber 28. It is understood the driver was a woman in her 80s. No onewas seri- ously hurt.


30 Malling January 2017 Louis waffling for profit


A SCHOOLBOY fromAllington has come upwith the recipe for his own baking business at the tender age of 13. After a family holiday in Hong Kong, he returned with the idea of


creating Asianwaffles and now has bookings to sell hiswares across the region. Commercially-minded Louis Callaghan-Inge has already earned his


hygiene rating, level 2 food hygiene certificate and has invested in liability insurance, business cards and a secondwaffle maker – his first having been bought on Gumtree for £20. The proactive young professional, who is in year 9 atOakwood Park


Grammar Schoool in Maidstone, recently enjoyed a sell-out success at the Busy Bees Nursery Christmas Fete at Maidstone Hospital and is booked for regular spots at Offham andWye farmers’ markets. He is also the youngest person registered with the Kent Foundation, supporting young entrepreneurs in Maidstone. His dadNick Inge said: “We have friends who have businesses and Louis


is really interested in the world of commerce and is always asking what makes a successful business. This has been funded entirely by him and now he is getting support and looking to source even more local produce to use. “Children’s parties and franchising the business are what he is thinking of doing in future.”


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Hospital survey shows high patient satisfaction


WATCHDOGS have given Maidstone Hospital a clean bill of health but made recommendations to ensure patients are more comfortable. Healthwatchkent’s survey shows


that 97% of users felt they had been given the full attention of staff and their privacy had been respected. More than 80% of users said the information they receivedwas clear and easy to understand, while 70% felt they had been involved in the decisions about their care. Levels of satisfaction were gener-


ally higher in Maidstone than at TunbridgeWells. The body sent teams to both Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals to talk to patients about their experiences of using the NHS services provided there. But Healthwatchkent – an inde- pendent voice for local people on health matters – did make several recommendations for Maidstone to consider. It suggests signs to clinics and toi-


let facilities are clear, visible and easy to follow, especially to the vi- sually-impaired.


Appointment letters should in-


clude details about parking and pa- tients should be given information “consistently” aboutwaiting times. Temperatures in thewaiting areas should be controlled, with entrance doors kept open in hotweather, and a drinks machine should also be considered, thewatchdog said. The hospital should also consider wheelchair spaces in the waiting areas, tominimise obstruction to pa- tient flows. Healthwatchkent’s report states:


“The clinics were clean and tidy. Observations by some patientswere that the waiting area could do with being ‘a bit more cheery’, especially for patients with a longerwait. “Therewere plenty of posters and


information around the waiting areas. There was a drinking foun- tain, toilets and some light reading material available.” The watchdog sent a team of six volunteers on “enter and view” vis- its, where they met with the head of outpatients and the deputy chief nurse and spoke to 73 patients at both hospitals. The Maidstone & Tunbridge


Wells NHS Trust said the reports had been considered and signage would be reviewed, as would park- ing information contained in ap- pointment letters. It adds: “The sisters of each out- patient department will support a review of current processes to en- sure that patients do receive timely information about waiting times in each clinic.” There are already dedicated wheelchair spaces at Maidstone, but the suggestions made in the report will be considered, said the trust.


Pilot plan to


boost homes KENT County Council (KCC) is a key player in a new government- backed pilot scheme designed to re- move some of the hurdles seen as blocking new house building. It follows a report from The Housing and Finance Institute that highlighted how failingwater com- panies are hampering private house builders by not providing adequate infrastructure. Poor performers highlighted in the report include SouthernWater. The pilot scheme – supported by organisations including KCC, South East Local Enterprise Part- nership and the Home Builders’ Federation – aims to identify and “unblock infrastructure problems” to speed up house building. It will pay particular attention to


developments delayed by lack of water and sewage systems, as well as electricity, gas or roads. The pilot will run until May, with


its first findings expected to go be- fore housing and planning minister Gavin Barwell and MP Stephen Hammond, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Infrastruc- ture, by the end of the month. Natalie Elphicke, chief executive


of TheHousing&Finance Institute, said: “Our hope is that this pilot will provide us with a blueprint for fixing these issues.”


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