Maidstone East Edition Malling Edition
October 2017 June 2019 Panto ahoy! Civic role for Jill
JILL Anderson is the latest councillor to join the Tonbridge and Malling “chain gang”. The advertising manager took the helm
as the borough’s first citizen last month, when she accepted the trappings of office from incumbent mayor Pam Bates. East Malling’s Roger Roud will be her
deputy during her one year term in office.
THE cast of Cinderella, which is to be staged at the Hazlitt Theatre in Maid- stone, took to the River Medway to launch this year's panto. On board The Kentish Lady were national treasure Rustie Lee (Fairy Godmother), former EastEnder Ste- fan Booth (Prince Charming), Eliza- beth Bright (Cinderella), Craig Anderson (Buttons) and, pictured, Stephen Richards and Adam Bor- zone (Ugly Sisters) . They were greeted by pupils from
CCTV call in a bid to stop fly-tipping
Ex who started fatal fire is jailed for life
South Borough Primary School and members of the media. The panto runs from December 1-31. For tick- ets go to
www.hazlitttheatre.co.uk.
A MAN who torched his estranged wife’s West Malling home, killing his mother-in-law, has been jailed for life.
Simon Childs (52) launched the
CALLS for the installation of CCTV cameras to prevent fly-tipping on a country road have been made by the local borough councillor.
attack because he thought his for- mer partner Mandy was seeing an- other man, a court was told. He broke into the Spitfire Road
Burberry Lane, near Leeds and Broomfield, has been targeted by waste dumpers for years, but in re- cent months, the problem has be- come more acute. Constructionwaste, rubble, hard
property in November last year, doused a lean-to near the kitchen in petrol and set light to it. The blaze he started killed his
core, windows and household fur- niture is left illegally – often strewn in the middle of the road. Cllr Gill Fort said: “Every month
mother-in-law, Jacqueline Allen (65), and the family dog, while an- other occupant had to leap from an upstairs window to survive. Handing down the sentence at
we are having toilets, sinks and construction waste dumped in the village, specifically in Burberry Lane, where we are now thinking of installing cameras on private land, to oversee the problem area.” A recent event in Burberry Lane
saw a caravan burned out while a torched car remains on a footpath
Maidstone Crown Court on Fri- day, May 24, Judge Judith Farbey told Childs: “You have deprived Mandy of her mother, and you have deprived Jackie of the rest of her life. Your 16-year marriage was strained and filled with jealousy and anger you couldn’t control.
nearby, more than a year after it was dumped and set on fire. The church car park has also seen
many instances of illegal dumping. But it is a problem in many rural
jealousy and revenge on Mandy. You are not a man of good charac-
areas including Langley, Otham and Kingswood. Water Lane in Bearsted and Pilgrims Way have also been targeted recently. Last year, Maidstone Borough Council cleared 911 cases of fly-tip- ping and this year more than 163 have been recorded since April. The approaching darker evenings will prompt a rise in illegal tipping. Cllr Fort welcomed a joint initia-
“You carried out your plan in
tive by the Environment Agency and the Driver and Vehicle Stan- dards Agency to clamp down on
ter and were deeply affected by the breakdown of your marriage.” The court had previously been
told that Childs had threatened to burn a caravan belonging to Rory Clarke, the man he suspected of having a relationship with Mandy. He was also heard making
threats to “burn the house down”, and was responsible for dozens of abusive messages and phone calls. Childs, of Hurricane Close,
pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder, but was convicted and jailed for life, with a minimum of 32 years to serve. After the case, Detective Chief
unlicensed waste carriers, but be- lieves the cost to small firms of dis- posing of construction waste at a transfer station is proving a deter- rent that is costing councils more. Cllr Fort made her remarks as
one of the borough’s closest trans- fer stations at North Farm, Tun- bridge Wells, announced it will be closed for 10weeks. She added: “If you go along the
Inspector Patrick Milford said: “Simon Child’s actions were delib- erate and calculated. He broke into the property knowing that Jacque- line Allen and another person were inside, before starting a dev- astating fire which spread rapidly with tragic consequences.” Jacqueline Allen’s family said:
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‘’There are no words to express the sadness and loss of our beloved mother and grandmother. Jackie would have given her last breath for us. Our whole world was taken from under us.” Full report on pages 4 and 5
line of increasing fines, they have to be enforced. A reduction in the charge or offering it free may have the desired similar effect.” Athree-monthly litter pick on the mile-long stretch of road through Leeds village produces an average 32 black sacks of rubbish.
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Kate, 107, dies News
Horse rider attacked3 MP’s Local Plan bid
A RIDER says she was thrown from her horse following a road rage attack near Wateringbury.
KATE Hart, a resident at an old people’s home in Bearsted, has died aged 107, her son David has disclosed.
Brother’s fatal punch Plans for Dr Nigel
HELEN Whately asked the government to halt the borough’s housing scheme.
A REVELLER has been jailed after killing his brother on a night out in West Malling.
High street boost Obituaries
6 4
THE widow of GP Dr Nigel Minnet will walk the Grand Canyon for charity. 12
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COUNCIL grants have helped to give a facelift to three high street shopfronts.
THE former Neighbours star brings his show to the Hazlitt Theatre next May.
Parish Councils 26
CHILDREN’S charity, the NSPCC, has been given permission to use the village green in Offham for its garden safari; surface damage in Woodgate Road, Ryarsh, was due to be repaired; parish councillors in Watering- bury have agreed to replace the gate and post at Fields Lane.
Obituaries
A MOBILITY scooter was damaged in West Malling; joyriders targeted two golf buggies in Kings Hill; fuel was stolen from a compound in Offham; an excavator attachment was stolen from Aylesford; a brick was thrown through a windscreen in Birling.
Cllr Fort, who also serves as a Town Talk
parish councillor, says teaching children about social responsibility and the issue of litter in schools will help take the issue off the streets. She believes with every household receiving a weekly refuse collection service, there is no excuse for litter being thrown from vehicles or dumped in the road.
Home Alarms supplied and fitted
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Jason Donovan date 16
Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper
Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper
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Crime Reports 26 Parish Councils 34-35
Comment 34-35 Crime Reports 35
ASH dieback has been discovered in Monks Meadow in Detling; Hollingbourne village fete stall- holder co-ordinator Jean Duffy has resigned; yellow lines are needed for Buffkyn Way, Otham, to allow buses through Imperial Park; rub- bish bins in the sports field in Kingswoodare to be moved over to the picnic area and rear exit.
MEET the new vicar who has stepped into the parish’s pulpit, and the charity that is still supporting local students after more than 300 years. Town Talk is the bi-monthly independent magazine dedicated to Snodland and Halling residents.
VEHICLES have been driven over farmland in Lenham, causing damge to crops; an attempted break-in was reported in Detling; a vehicle was vandalised in Bearsted Rd, Weavering; pumpkins were stolen from an allotment in Lenham.
Comment 46-47
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