News News


X Factor date


X FACTOR star Louisa Johnson has been lined-up to headline the Big Day Out to be held in Maid- stone in July. The singer, best known for the hit


Best Behaviour, will take the stage at Mote Park on July 1. She announced the gig on Twit-


ter, saying: “Big news! I’ll be head- lining the @BigDayOutUK Festival in Maidstone this July! Can’t wait to see you all there.” Also on the bill are Diversity,


who won Britain’s Got Talent, and girl band Atomic Kitten, who have Kerry Katona in their line-up. Louisa (19) won the X Factor in


2015, after singing with mentor Rita Ora in the final.


Assault case A MAIDSTONE woman has been charged with wounding after an al- leged stabbing in Shepway. Nicola Goslitski (40), of Sutton


Widow’s thrilling trek swells charity’s coffers


THE widow of a much-loved GP has completed a self-funded char- ity trekaroundtheGrandCanyon– which has helped to raise more than £9,000 for research into the ill- ness that claimed him. DrNigelMinett,who hadworked


at the Orchard Surgery in Langley, died in 2012, just 10 weeks after his diagnosis for pancreatic cancer. His widow, KateMinett, was one


of aparty of 20 trekkers, all ofwhom had been affected by the disease in oneway or another. But Kate was one of only two in


Road,was arrested after policewere called to a report of an assault in Westmorland Road on Sunday, April 30. Officerswere told that two women had made theirway to hos- pital with arm injuries. They are be- lieved to have known the suspect. Goslitski has been charged with


the party who slept under the stars in sub-zero temperatures, braving rattlesnakes, scorpions and ven- omous spiders as part of the “amaz- ing, exhausting, exhilarating and emotional” experience. Shededicatedher tripto themem-


ory of her husband, who spent 20 years as aGP at theMardenMedical Centre, and to raisemoney for Pan- creatic CancerUK. Kate said: “An incredible experi-


two counts of wounding with in- tent and one of possessing a knife in a public place.


ence, so much natural beauty in God’s creation, so many beautiful hurting souls. “I would like to thank everyone


THE PRINCESS Royal received a warm welcome from charity vol- unteers when she visited the Save The Children shop in Maidstone. Acrowd of onlookerswaited out-


side the store in Union Street to see Princess Anne. She was greeted by dignitaries including the Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Derek Butler, the charity’s retail manager Cheryl Adams and voluntary shop leader, Karen Elphick, before going inside to meet shop workers. The Princess, who has been presi-


dent of the charity since the 1970s, spoke of her appreciation of the con- tribution the shop makes to the work of the charity at home and abroad. She also presented certificates to Dennis Foad, Brenda Harris and Sylvia Thomas in honour of their long service to the charity. Seven-year-old Daisy, the daugh-


KateMinett stands above the Grand Canyon on her fundraising trek inmemory of husband Nigel, left


who took the time to con- tribute to my fundraising activities,who


have visitedmy JustGiving page or sentme donations. “I amtruly overwhelmed by your


ter of shop volunteer LoraMaxwell, presented the Princess Anne with a posy and a card she had made. The card had a picture of a horse be- cause Daisy had researched on the internet and found that the Princess


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generosity and the lovelymemories ofmy husbandyou shared. I amstill collecting sponsormoney – as of the beginning of November it has topped £9,400.” Pancreatic cancer is the tenthmost


common cancer in the UK affecting around 9,400 people every year.


The Princess R yal is greeted by Cheryl Adams, the mayor and Karen Elphick Kate’s trek involved a week of


It is regarded as a “silent killer” because it is often too advanced by the time doctors discover it.


loved animals. Among the dozens of onlookers


who watched the Princess depart was 88-year-old BettyWarren who hadwaited for nearly an hour to see her andwas given a chair and a cup of tea outside the shop. The charity shop opened in Union


Street in 1980 when the building was bought for £12,000. Thirty- seven years later, its success contin- ues, with the volunteers having


training in Arizona and Utah in preparation for an eight-mile hike, whichwas a timedascent of thepop- ular trail to Observation Point in ZionNational Park. She added: “It is difficult to find


thewords to trulydescribe the expe- rience. Awonderful teamof excep- tional human beings, all sadly touched by this dreadful cancer. There were somany sad stories but hope prevailed.”


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Princess Royal meets charity shop workers


Council tax is


downsmail.co.uk downsmail.co.uk


under strain ALMOST 60p in every £1 of council tax paid could be spent caring for children and the elderly by 2020. New analysis by the Local Gov-


ernment Association, ahead of the autumn Budget, shows the strain on council spending of rising de- mand for children’s services and an ageing population, which will leave less for services frompothole repairs to libraries. The LGA forecasts that for every


£1 of council tax collected in 2019/20, 56p will go on caring for the elderly, vulnerable adults and children – up 15p on 2010/11. The LGA suggests this could


leave just 6p in every £1 for refuse collection and as little as 5p for roads and street lighting. The LGA warns that as well as


raised £40,000 for the charity last year.


are alwayswelcome at the tiny shop which is packed with goods ranging from clothing, children’s items, kitchen ware and a collector’s cor- ner. There is also a “wanted board” for people who are looking for something in particular and the vol- unteers will keep an eye out for them.


the cost pressures, by 2020, local government in England will have lost 75p from every £1 in central government funding onwhat it re- ceived in 2015. There had been hope that local


More donations and customers


government would be allowed to keep all of its business rates income by the end of the decade, but this was not in the Queen’s Speech. The LGA says the Government


needs to set out how it intends to help councils keep up with infla- tion and demand for services.


downsmail.co.uk


News Child sex offender sent to jail


A MAIDSTONE man has been jailed after trying to show inde- cent images to children. Barry Powell (54), ofTufton Street,


was sentenced to three years and eightmonths in prison after actions described by police as “entirely un- acceptable”. He was already on bail, having


been arrestedin June on suspicion of downloading indecent images of children, aswell as being subject to a sexual offences prevention order is- sued byMedwayMagistrates inOc- tober 2011. The latest incident happened in


Julywhen he travelled to Tonbridge by train with indecent images of children and adults on his mobile phone. He approached two 12-year-old girls standing at a bus stop in the


High Street and showed theman in- decent image of a child, asking them if they liked it. One of the girls shouted at him and then followed himas hewalked


away, telling her friends to call the police. A 13-year-old boy who had seenthe incident joinedher andgave police a running commentary of Powell’smovements. They alertedmembers of the pub-


lic, and as Powell walked away he swore at the children and told passers-by that the girl was his daughter, before throwing the phone in the river in a bid to destroy evidence. He was detained by security staff


and two off-duty officers at the rail- way station, and subsequently ar- rested. He then admitted he had shown


the girls the images for sexual grati- fication, and it later transpired he had also shown images to two 11- year-olds atTonbridgeCastle earlier the same day.


Jail terms a warning to London drug dealers


POLICE inMaidstone have issued a stark warning to Londoners coming to the town to deal drugs after twomore dealers were sent to prison. Akeem Harris (26), from South Norwood was sen-


tenced to three years and ninemonths in prison, and a 16-year-old from Catford received 18 months in a Youth Offender Institution. The pair were arrested on June 14 when plain clothes officers went to a flat in The Farrows where


they found them in possession of crack cocaine and heroin with a street value between £375 and £750, severalmobile phones and £2,000 in cash. Theywere both arrested on suspicion of possessing


class A drugswith intent to supply and officers seized an Audi parked nearby that they suspected had been used by the suspects to travel to Kent. Bothwere later charged and pleaded guilty when they appeared at Maidstone Crown Court on November 13.


Hewas charged and remanded in


custody, and pleaded guilty tomak- ing indecent images of children, causing a child towatch a sexual act and three breaches of his sexual of- fencesprevention orderwhen he ap- peared at Maidstone Crown Court onAugust 18. Itwas at the same courtwhere he


was sentenced onNovember 27. As well as his 44-month jail term,


hewill be the subject of an extended three-year licence on release and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. He will also be placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely. Investigator Jane Gibson of Kent


Police’s Public Protection Unit said: `Powell’s actions are entirely unac- ceptable and have caused consider- abledistress to a number of children. “He has also shown a blatant dis-


regardfor the criminal justice system by committing offenceswhile onbail and being subject to a sexual of- fences prevention order. “I would like to commend the


children who helped the investiga- tion and in particular the two who followedPowell andensuredhewas brought to justice. They were praised highly by the judge when Powell was sentenced and were re- cently presentedwith a certificate of merit by Kent Police.”


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