News


downsmail.co.uk Shock plight of tent dwellers


THE heavens had just opened as we stepped on to the camp site – an area once used for family picnics close toMaidstone’s river at Fant.


The area – a former wildlife


haven created by KCC and Maid- stone Council three years’ ago – is nowan abandonedbramblepatch, and home to the homeless. The tents were soaked, as were


bedding, shoes and bicycles lying outside. Rubbish was in black sacks,with evidence of open fires: home for four people in our town. Local councillor Margaret Rose


said: “This is heart-breaking; No one has a proper life until they have a home.” While no one suggests the home-


less issue is a simple one, in this particular case the problem in- volves those having entered the country fromEasternEurope,with the borough council needing trans- lators to even communicate. There have also been some com-


plaints fromneighbours about late night noise from the camp. How- ever, most, including staff at the


Two arrested after £30,000


found in car A MONEY-laundering suspect was found hiding in under- growth to avoid arrest. Officers had been concerned


about the speed of a black Ford Focus, which did not stop as it travelled on the Sittingbourne- bound carriageway of the A249 at about 10.55pm on Sunday, July 21, 2019. The vehicle hit the middle of


the Stockbury Roundabout and a search involving sniffer dogs and theNational PoliceAir Serv- ice helicopter later revealed two men in nearby undergrowth. Bundles of cash totalling an es-


timated £30,000were seized from a vehicle, which had been aban- doned following the pursuit. A 42-year-old man from Sit-


tingbourne was arrested on sus- picion of driving offences and money laundering, and a 35- year-old man from Maidstone was arrested on suspicion of money laundering. Both men were released on


bail until Friday, August 16, pending further enquiries by de- tectives fromthe Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.


4 Maidstone September 2019 Labour councillors Paul Harper, Keith Adkinson andMargaret Rose


Spar store in Upper Fant Road are sympathetic. “It’s an awfulway to live, even in the summer, said one. “Who knowswhy they are here,


but as long as they don’t cause problems I suppose they have to stay somewhere.” Ward councillorKeithAdkinson


and his colleagues are also con- cerned about their vulnerability, referring to themurder of 21-year- old homeless man Razvan Sirbu, while sleeping under canvas in nearby Tovil. It’s a concern sharedbyAmanda Sidwell, founder of the charity


Making aDifference toMaidstone. She adds: “MaidstoneCouncil is


doing its best to tackle the home- less issue, with some Government help, but theproblemis only going to getworse.” Her charity aims to signpost


“those in need to an already over- stretched health andmental health service inMaidstone”. She said: “When one person is


helped another two pop up, be- cause the London boroughs are dumping their tenants here.Many don’t even want to be here, don’t knowthe area andmost have other problems like unemployment, ad- diction, mental health concerns and an inability to sustain their rents.” Such is the extent of the problem


that her charity is hoping to ex- pand and move into larger prem- ises, offered by the Morrisons supermarket inWeek Street.


£50,000 bill for brothel pair


AMANandwoman responsible for running brothels in areas in- cludingMaidstone have been or- dered to pay back more than £50,000 under the Proceeds of CrimeAct. John Huggett (46) and Phim-


laphat Ratanankul (37) oversaw a prostitution ring, using classi- fied advertisingwebsites to offer services for a number ofwomen. They were arrested in Febru-


ary 2016, following multiple searchwarrants, as part of an in-


vestigation by the Kent and Essex SeriousCrimeDirectorate. Following their convictions,


Kent Policemade an application for a confiscation order, under the Proceeds of Crime Act. At a hearing on August 1, Huggett was ordered to pay back £46,978. Ratanankul was instructed to pay £7,439. Detective Inspector Annie


Clayton, of the Serious Eco- nomic Crime Unit, said: “If Ratanankul or Huggett fail to


complywith the order, theywill have to serve prison sentences of four months and a year, respec- tively. Following this they will still have to pay back themoney. “The Proceeds of Crime Act


remains one of our biggest weapons against thosewho fund a lifestyle from crime. It enables police to clawback any ill-gotten gains from offenders, by allow- ing us to seize cash, cars and even lavish homes which may have been funded by crime.”


Goingwild for nature Global show


VOLUNTEERS have helped to plant wild flowers acrossMaidstone. Several areas around the bor-


ough were targeted. Workers pre- pared the land in spring, ready for volunteers to sowseeds to brighten up the neighbourhoods and create habitats forwildlife. Pupils from St John’s Primary


School spread the seeds on Grove- wood Drive, Grove Green, and the borough council created the wild- flowermeadows on Bearsted Road, opposite the Hilton Hotel. The council scheme ‘Go Green


GoWild’ is a newproject created by the Open Spaces team to encour- age people to look after nature.


THEMulticultural Society is pre- senting a fashion show on Sep- tember 7. Doors open at 5pm for a 6pm


start at Invicta Grammar School inHuntsman Lane. The eventwill include guest speakers, tradi- tional dance performances and a wide range of foods fromall over theworld. Adult tickets cost £6.50 and


child tickets cost £4.50. Tickets can be purchased by emailing mcs12@invicta.viat.org.uk or pay- ing at the door. All proceedswill be donated to


Adventist Development and Re- lief Agency (ADRA) which aims to empower the poor around the world.


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