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Dealer had 41 bags of drugs


A HEROIN dealer who tried to es- cape from police in a department store in Maidstone with 41 bags of heroin and cocaine has been sen- tenced to three and a half years in prison. Officers patrolling the town on


February 12, 2016, were alerted to concerns over two men who had entered TKMaxx in St Peter’s Street and smelled strongly of cannabis. As they were approached by po-


lice to be searched under the Mis- use of Drugs Act, one of the men, Myles Brooks (pictured), attempted to run fromthe scene. Brooks (31), formerly ofHockley,


in the West Midlands, was re- strained on the ground and found to be grasping a bag underneath his body. A court heard that the bag con-


tained 41wraps of classAdrugs as well as a quantity of cannabis and £530 cash. Forensic analysis showed the


wraps contained more than 9g grams of heroin and almost 30g of cocaine. The drugs had an estimated


street value ofmore than £8,000. Following his arrest Brooks was


recalled to prison for breaching li- cence terms imposed alongside a previous drugs sentence in 2013. Appearing before Maidstone


Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to possessing heroin with intent to supply and to possessing cocaine with intent to supply. Brookswas sentenced onOctober


5, 2017.No further actionwas taken against the other person arrested. PC Celia King said: “Brooks is a


repeat offender, who has clearly been undeterred by previous pun- ishments. “The suffering and devastation


dealers like himcause to individu- als, their families and to local com- munities is often far-reaching. Thankfully, the courts have passed a significant sentencewhich reflects the seriousness and impact of this crime.”


Man chargedwith PC assault


AMAN has been charged with assaulting a police officer following a disturbance in the centre ofMaidstone. Kent Police were called to reports of an affray in the High Street at


about 1.55amon Thursday, September 21. Twomenwere arrested. It is alleged that a police officer was then assaulted as one of the men was being taken into custody. Matthew Pritchard (31), of Rotherham, was later charged with as-


saulting a police constable in the execution of their duty and with at- tempting criminal damage to a property. He has been bailed to appear beforeMaidstoneMagistrates’Court on October 20. The secondman arrestedwas later releasedwithout charge.


Towpath open Pub demolition


THE towpath linking Aylesford with Barming Bridge has been offi- cially opened. TheMedwayTowpath,whichwas


completed in the spring, takes in six miles of theRiverMedway, andis an idealway for cyclists andwalkers to exploreMaidstone River Park. Among the sights on the route are


Allington Lock, Allington Castle, Whatman Park, the Gallagher Sta- diumandMaidstone town centre. The towpath was the biggest in-


vestment in the River Park since its creation,with funding coming from the SouthEastLocalEnterprisePart- nership, Kent County Council and Maidstone Borough Council.


WORK is set to begin on the dem- olition of a former pub that has been called an eyesore. The Victoria, next toMaidstone


East station, closed in 2011 and last year Network Rail said the venue would be torn down and replaced with a newticket office and a pub- lic square. The position of the building – on


a railway bridge – caused concern for those behind the project, delay- ing it by some seven months, but scaffolding is now in place as the work gets ready to begin. It is anticipated that the £2m


project will be completed next year.


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www.iron-maids.co.uk Maidstone November 2017 9


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