News Hide car keys,


warn police HOMEOWNERS are being warned to lock away their car keys after high value vehicles were stolen from addresses in EastMalling andAylesford. AMercedes E-Class was stolen


from Bondfield Road, East Malling, after the car keys were taken from the house between 10pm and 10.30pm on Tuesday, March 26. The carwas later found in London. AnAudi Quattrowas taken the


same evening from a drive in Aylesford after the keys were taken between 10amand 6pm. Police want to hear from any-


one who saw anyone acting sus- piciously. Sgt Jon Turtle said: “We are urg-


ing people to protect their prop- erty by making sure keys, cash and expensive items are not visi- ble from outside. I would partic- ularly advise householders to double-lock uPVC doors and windows to deter thieves.” Anyone with information-


should call Sgt Turtle on 01622 604100,


quoting reference


46/57225/19 for theAylesford bur- glary or 46/57417/19 for the East Malling break-in. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers, mously, on 0800 555111.


anony- £71k tax fraud


ends in court A LARKFIELD plumber, who stole £71,765 by charging cus- tomers VAT but not passing the money on to the government, has been given a 21-month prison sentence. Mark Jubb (52), of Springfield


Road, earned more than double theVAT threshold in one year, but didn’t register his business,Ascot Plumbing, for three. He advertised his services


under other business names, in- cluding Premier Plumbing, and subcontracted outwork. Matt Palmer, assistant director


of HMRC’s fraud investigation service, said: “The £71,000 he pocketed is the equivalent to the starting salaries of three trainee firefighters, and by cheating the system, he cheated society.” Jubb admitted cheating the


public revenue and, on March 21 at Maidstone Crown Court, was sentenced to 21months in prison, suspended for two years, and 220 hours unpaidwork. HMRC is now pursuing himto recover themoney he stole.


4 Malling April 2019 £250 to boost play area


YOUNGSTERS plan to plough a cash windfall into playground im- provements, teachers have re- vealed. Pupils at Ryarsh Primary School


have been handed £250 by amulti- billion pound property developer after being named the latest win- ner of its donation box scheme. Rated as outstanding by Ofsted,


the school caters for children aged four to 11. Head teacher, Ruth Austin, said:


“At Ryarsh, we are proud of our strong links with the local commu- nity, including local residents and businesses.We are grateful for the additional funding, which will be spent on playground improve- ments.”


downsmail.co.uk


Pupils’ rights respected at silver award school


A PRIMARY school has been given a prestigious award by the UK branch of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).


Valley Invicta, at Holborough


Lakes, is one of only 11 education establishments in Kent to receive the Silver Rights Respecting SchoolAward. UNICEF grants the honour in


recognition of classroomcommit- ment to promoting and encourag- ing adults, children and young people to respect the rights of oth- ers. The body says the silver award


is given to schools when they make excellent progress towards embedding the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of theChild into their ethos and cur- riculum. Valley Invicta head teacher,


Lisa Vickers, said: "We are so proud our school has achieved the Silver Rights Respecting Award. It is a huge achievement, and recognises the incredible ef- fort put in by all our pupils, staff, governors and parents.


"The award will undoubtedly


have a positive impact on us all moving forward, as it puts the im- portance of children's rights at the heart of everything we do as a school.


I would like to say a


heartfelt thank you to all of those who have contributed to this achievement." Year 6 pupil, Christian, added:


“Getting the silver award felt like a gargantuan achievement. “It has shown our school to be a ‘rights respecting school’.


“It’s had a very big impact on


howwe behave during school be- cause classmates look out for each other and understand the rights of the child and school. “A lot of people have been put-


ting respecting achievements in lessons. For example, if they see a pen on the floor that isn’t theirs, they put it in the pot.” Valley Invicta says it is now


working towards the gold award - the next step up, and the highest accolade granted by Unicef.


Train times


‘to improve’ SOUTHEASTERN has pledged quicker journey times for train users in Maidstone and Malling fromMay and better links to Lon- don services for those in Snodland. The train company says its


timetable changes fromthe first of themonthwill takeupto fourmin- utes off many journeys between London, Maidstone East, Canter- bury and the Kent Coast. Southeastern is alsopreparing to


introduce additional stops at Aylesford, New Hythe, Snodland, Halling and Cuxton to connect with faster trains at Strood nearly 30minutes earlier in themorning. David Statham, Southeastern’s


managing director, said: “We’re also ensuring that key trains used by schoolchildren have enough time allocated in the timetable so that everyone can get on who needs to.” The timetable changes are now


available to view online on the Southeastern and National Rail websites.Printedcopies of the new timetables will be available from stations fromMonday,April 8.


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