News


Woman onmaternity cover took firm’s cash


A MAIDSTONE woman who fraudulently paidmore than £6,000 in company money into her own account has been given a six- month suspended sentence. Denise Ockwell (58), acted as a


maternity cover accountant at a re- spected waste collection and recy- cling firmin Chart Sutton. But Ockwell had secretly been


transferring sums of cash from the company accounts of Environment First Ltd, in Plough Wents Road, into her own. She carried on her fraudulent be-


haviour for more than a year until her crimewas uncovered. Ockwell was sentenced on De-


cember 8 at Maidstone Magistrates Court, where she had pleaded


guilty to fraud by false representa- tion, and was convicted of the of- fence bymagistrates. The court was told that between


March 1, 2015 andMay 1, 2016,Ock- well, of Firmin Avenue, Boughton Monchelsea, paid company money totalling £6,271.90 into her own ac- count. Magistrates handed Ockwell a


180-day suspendedsentence and or- dered her to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. She must also pay £5,421.00 in compensation and £85 in costs. Environment First Ltd is a family-


run business based at a farm in Chart Sutton. The farm can be traced back to the 1950s and is oper- ated now by a third generation of


the Thompson family. According to itswebsite: “In 2001,


an opportunity for recycling waste within the agricultural business sec- tor led to Environment First Ltd being formed. “From there the business has


grown to encompass a wide range of activities and offering a compre- hensive recycling service for many businesses in Kent and south-east England.” The company declined to com-


ment. Ockwell has been running amod-


est business venture, called Todoco Ltd, from her home address since 2007, which, according to Compa- niesHouse, specialises inmail order and internet retail sales.


Audience choice for Changeling


BOUGHTON Monchelsea will play host to two classic plays in the sum- mer after Changeling Theatre con- firmed its dates for 2018. The Maidstone-based group will


be performing at Boughton Monchelsea Place on the weekends of June 29 to July 1 and August 17 to 19. As the only outdoor touring com-


pany in the county, Changeling The- atre prides itself on providing “high-quality, entertaining theatre in non-traditional locations for com- munity audiences”. The plays they performare always


chosen by a public vote, and this year the audience have opted for two productions. The company will be putting on


shows of Measure for Measure by WilliamShakespeare andNoel Cow- ard’s Blithe Spirit. Creative director Rob Forknall,who


has recently finished a stint in pan- tomime in Gravesend alongside 1980’s glamour model Linda Lusardi, is looking forward to putting on both shows. “Every yearwe ask our audience to


vote for their choice of plays the fol- lowing year,” he said. “We have a real connection with our audiences, and the vote is an important part of what we do. “Measure forMeasure has been in


the running before, but lost out to All’sWell that EndsWell in 2016. “We have wanted to stage Meas-


ure forMeasure for a long time, and we can't tell you howexcitedwe are to be touring it in 2018. It’s a very funny Shakespeare, full of twists and turns. “Noel Coward is also a Changeling favourite and a writer very close to


28


A scene fromChangeling Theatre’s 2017 production of Hamlet and this year they are at BoughtonMonchelsea


my heart. Blithe Spirit is just somuch fun and will work really well in the open air. “Audiences are going to love their


choices.” Changeling Theatre celebrates its


21st anniversary this year, and will perform at a number of venues across the county, in between the two dates at BoughtonMonchelsea Place, which is the traditional start and finish venue for their perform- ances. The venue list will be confirmed in


full on February 14,Valentine’s Day, will be a varied mix of diverse loca-


Maidstone Weald January 2018


tions. Among them are Margate seafront and Biddenden Vineyard, along with a wide range of public gardens, parks, amphitheatres and many of the county’s best-loved cas- tles. Local venues in 2017 included


Allington Castle, Leeds Castle and The Friars in Aylesford. Changeling Theatre, founded in


1997, puts on productions ranging from Shakesperian classics to inno- vative new shows with new writers and composers, and creates site spe- cific peformances. For details go to www.changeling-theatre.com


downsmail.co.uk


Police seek a third man in robbery case


POLICE inves- tigating a rob- bery


in


Marden have released this computer gen- erated image of a man they are seeking. Kent Police


received a re- port that at 7.45pm on Friday, Oc- tober 13, 2017, aman in his 60swas at a business premises in Sheep- hurst Lanewhen twomenwearing masks entered his office, punched himseveral times and hit himwith a glass bottle. They then stole a quantity of cash and left the prem- ises. The victimsuffered bruising and


swelling to his face and hand. One of themen is described as 25


to 35 years old, 5ft 8in to 6ft tall and of slim build. He was wearing a black padded coat with a hood, black trousers, trainers and gloves. The second is described aswhite,


25 to 35 years old, shorter than the other suspect and of slimbuild.He was wearing a black coat, trousers and gloves, andwhite trainers. Investigators would now also


like to speak to a man who was seen near the business premises on October 13 who may be able to as- sist them in their investigation. He is described as being white, in his late 30s, of slim build with blond hair. He was wearing camouflage trousers and awaistcoat. Officers are keen to speak to the


man, or for anyonewho recognises the computer image to contactKent Police on 01622 604100 quoting ref- erence YY/30702/17, or Kent Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.


LibDemfaces ‘assault’ claim


A LIBERAL Democrat borough councillor faces suspension over an alleged assault claim. The allegation relates to an inci-


dent at a youth club late last year. Cllr RichardWebb , who repre-


sents the Coxheath and Hunton ward, says he has yet to receive an official letter informing him he has been suspended by his party, but admits it is “a possibility”. The alleged incident was not


connected to his work as a bor- ough councillor or to the Lib Dems. Cllr Webb, who is a well-re-


gardedmember of the council and a popular figure in Coxheath, de- nies any wrong-doing. Kent Police have been ap- proached for a comment.


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