News
Rent collector admits fraud
A LETTING agent who stole money fromtenants to fuel a gam- bling addiction has been jailed. LeeGrace (42) stole about £45,000
from customers in Kings Hill over the course of 15months. Grace, formerly of Clyde Road,
Croydon, was sentenced to 20 monthswhenhe appearedatMaid- stone Crown Court inOctober. He began his role as a lettings
manager in the area in late 2014, employedto collect rental fees from customers and large cash deposits on properties. But instead of paying the funds
to his bosses and landlords, he usedthemoney to gamblebothon- line and in betting shops. Grace disguised his criminal ac-
tivityuntil the fraudwasuncovered in February 2016 after a landlord raised concerns that he had not re- ceived any rent. Itwas then discov- eredthat asmanyas 44 tenantswere likely to have been affected. Grace admitted fraud and an-
other charge of transferring crimi- nal property contrary to the Proceeds of CrimeAct 2002. DCCraigMalthouse said: “Grace
didn’t stumble into criminality by chance.He is a repeat offender and took this job knowing it would give him the opportunity to steal and defraud.”
downsmail.co.uk
Death drink-driver sent to prison for five years
A DRUNK who killed a man while driving the wrong way on the M20 motorway has been sent to prison for five years. Christopher Clement (37) was
twice the legal alcohol limit follow- ing a head-on collision onMarch 4 this year. He was behind the wheel of a
Toyota Corolla, when shortly after 3.00am the car was reported to have been seen heading in the wrong direction on the London bound carriageway. It later hit a VWTouareg, which
had been travelling in the correct direction at a location between junctions three and four. Mohammed Chowdhury, who
was a passenger travelling with Clement, died at the scene. Blood tests show Clement had
169mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood – the legal limit is 80 mil- ligrams. Traces of cannabis were also detected in his blood and al- though levels were below the legal limit he admitted to consuming the drug prior to driving. Clement, of Orpington, was charged with causing death by
Christopher Clement, below, was jailed for three years afterM20 madness
d a n g e r o u s driving and pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court. He was sen- tenced to five years and four
months in prison. He was also dis- qualified from driving for five years and eight months and will have to take an extended retest to drive again. PCChrisOliver-Jones ofKent Po-
lice’s Serious Collision Investiga- tion Unit, said: “Christopher Clement should never have been behind thewheel of a car.
"After the collision, witnesses
told us he wasn’t aware he had been driving thewrongway on the motorway. “Clement’s reckless actions have
resulted in the death of a young manwho had hiswhole life in front of him. I hope today's outcome pro- vides some comfort to his family. “I hope this sentence also serves
as a warning to anyone who is under the influence of alcohol and is considering getting behind the wheel. It simply isn’t worth the risk.Mistakes like this cost lives. I’d like to reassure the public that we will do everything within our power to bring offenders to justice."
downsmail.co.uk
News
By-election after Hemsley resigns
ACOUNCIL by-election has been triggered by the sudden resigna- tion of Conservative north ward memberMichael Hemsley. The poll for the Maidstone Bor-
oughCouncil seatwill takeplace on November 30. It is not known why Cllr Helmsley who sat on the plan- ning committee, stepped down but we understand it was for personal reasons. Conservative group leader John
Perry said: “He resigned for per- sonal reasons – that is all I am pre- pared to say but we’ll be sad to see himgo.” The departure sets up an intrigu-
ing by-election where a key seat comes up for grabswhile the issues of Maidstone Borough Council’s massive house-building plans and traffic congestion have been set firmly in the foreground of any fu- ture polls. It is also interesting be- cause Mr Hemsley won his seat in what is considered a LiberalDemo- crat stronghold. The Tories are keen not to let any
apparent internal disagreement get in theway of the election campaign. A fellow Tory councillor said: “He was one of the good, solid local councillors who put the residents
first, not necessarily the party. He was one of those guys who would listenmore than he spoke. “He didwell towin that seat in a
LibDemarea andwaswell thought of.” At heart of his departure appears
to be a disagreement over his stance on a specific planning issue. Fellow Conservative councillor Martin Round said pressures of being a borough councillor may have con- tributedtoMrHemsley’sdeparture. He said: “The flak and abuse is so
considerable these days. It makes the councillor job hard. We’re not paid salaries or for our time; it’s a voluntary role where we want to help our communities and consid- erably more than 50% of the time, we get an awful lot of abuse for it. “That’s why a member resigned If you sit on the planning committee, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.” Mr Hemsley declined to com-
ment.MBC said: “Cllr Hemsley re- signed with immediate effect in a letterwe receivedonOctober 13.We are appreciative of his work as a councillor for north ward and the by-electionwill be held onNovem- ber 30.”
Buying sellng, selling or oth?
or b
Whitehead Monckton solicitors can help you complete all the legal steps, whether you’re buying or selling a property.
you’ ere buying or sel We take pride in offering a
e buying or selling a property f
fering a no-nonsense approach to
what can sometimes be a frustrating pr ocess, helping ensur e your transaction is completed as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Fancy being a story-teller?
IF YOUwere a fan of Jackanory, howabout sharing your love of reading as a volunteer Story Starter inMaidstone? A new initiative – providing one-to-one reading skills to pre-school kids –
has just received £1mfromthe postcode lottery and urgently needs read- ing volunteers inMaidstone. Ginny Lunn, from Beanstalk – one of three organisations backing the
scheme – says the charity will be working with nurseries to get youngsters reading ready ahead of primary school, a factor known to give them the best start to their life of learning. AsaBeanstalk readerherself,Ginny said: “We knowhowimportant it is for
childreninthe early yearsof their educationtoreceive supportwiththeir lan- guage development, as this enables themto start primary school ready to read and able to thrive throughout their lives.We are now inviting people, particularly fromMaidstone, to come forward as volunteers so they can be trained as Story Starters. I know you’ll find it will be one of the most re- warding things you’ve ever done.” Story Starters volunteers support three children for20minutes each, twice aweek. Apply
atwww.storystarters.org.uk.
12 Maidstone December 2017
Recognised by the Law Society Conveyancing Quality Accreditation Scheme, a r equirement for some mortgage lenders to use the same solicitors.
Contact us today
Canterbur 01227 01622
e
England & Wales. is
Eng
itehea Monc al
Registered office 72 King Street, Maiidstone, Kent, ME14 1BL. Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation no. 608279.
Limite tr
d So ci e, K atio Authority under DM /1 Maidstone December 2017 13 08
Canterbury 01227 64325 Maidstonei Ma dstone 01622 69800 Tenterden 01580 765722
1622 698000 01580 76572
is
www.whitehead-monckton.co.uk Whitehead Monckton Limited (no. 08366029), registered in
01227 643250 01622 69800 01580 76572
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25
