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Drunken row ends in court


A DRUNKEN decorator has sworn to give up alcohol after a rowendedinthe assault of twopo- lice officers, a court heard. John Waghorn (55), of Lenham


Heath, appeared at Maidstone MagistratesCourt ontwo counts of assaulting a constable. Andrew Main, defending, told


the courtWaghorn had been on a path to sobriety up until the run- up to Christmas,where he and his wife decided to have a fewdrinks. On December 29, the pair got


drunk and had an argument, which resultedinWaghorn contin- uing the booze binge alone. PC Healy and PC Hanley ar-


rived, and insisted that either Waghorn or hiswife left the house. Waghorn left, still drinking, and


asked for a lift to his sister’s house where hewould spend the night. JamesNichols, prosecuting, told


the courtWaghorn turned violent and screamed abuse at the two of- ficers, shouting “go away” and“ar-


restme, f****** do it”. He punched both officers in the


chest, and “drew his arm up and swung it atHealy’s right cheek”. Waghornwaspreviously given a


community order and ordered to do unpaid work after a domestic offence inNovember 2017. The court heard that once this


order finished, and as Christmas approached,Waghorn felt he was able to consume alcohol. Mr Main told the court: “Mr


Waghorn is very remorseful, hede- scribes the night as likewatching a movie about someone else, be- cause he cannot picture himself doing these actions. “Alcohol gets him into a great


deal of difficulty. There was no premeditation involved, as there was no thinking going on at all.” Waghorn is a self-employed


painter and decorator, and has sworn to give up alcohol again. Waghornwas fined£169 for each of the two assaults.


News Police bravery awards


CONSTABLES who dragged a drowning man to safety have been recog- nised for their bravery. ChristopherWilliams (pictured) and an unnamed colleague were hon-


oured lastmonth byMaidstone’s divisional commander following the res- cue on theRiverMedway inNovember. The officers had been called to


Fairmeadow,Maidstone, to investigate reports that amanwas battling for his life. Despite facing personal risk, the constablesmanaged to haul the casu- alty fromthe freezingwaters. On January 16, both officers were


recognised for their “professionalism, commitmentanddedication”,ata cer- emony in Maidstone’s Kent Police Training School. Divisional Commander, Chief Supt


SimonWilson, who presented 20 cer- tificates ofmerit, said: “Kent Police offi- cers are called to difficult and potentially dangerous situations every day. They regularly put themselves in harm’sway to protectmembers of the public, which is why it is right they re- ceive the recognition they deserve.” Also honoured were two unnamed community support officers who


stopped a person fromjumping off a bridge inMillenniumPark. And the police teambehind Operation Raptor got special praise for its


work fighting the supply of drugs inMaidstone. Chief SuptWilson said: “In the past 20months the teamhas arrested


over 100 individuals, resulting in 35 convictions and prison sentences to- tallingmore than 105 years.”


T. 01622 433163 M. 07854 529 434 Maidston East March 2019 27


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