Depressed man’s home plea


A SICK pensioner trapped for months in his bedroom has renewed his plea for a suitable new home - days after a gas leak in his kitchen made him seriously ill.


John Foggin’s carer claims the


oven fumes almost killed him, as he was trapped in an upstairs bed- room that he has been unable to leave for the past six months. Several weeks ago, Downs Mail housing


alerted his provider,


Orbit, to Mr Foggin’s fragile state of mind and that he was on the brink of being suicidal. But when we flagged up 78-year-


old Mr Foggin’s case, Jodi Knight, from housing provider Orbit, said: “I’m just saying this from a per- sonal view, if John’s mental health is that bad, I’m not sure if it’s wise to put his story in the newspaper.” The former Aylesford mechanic


suffers from mild dementia, heart disease, lung disease, motor neu- rone disease, prostate problems and is incontinent. Earlier this year, Downs Mail


highlighted his plight – confined to the upstairs rooms of a three-bed- room semi-detached property in


POLICE are warning residents to be vigilant after an attempted dis- traction burglary. Two white men in their 40s are


would have to bother going to a crematorium. I wonder if one of their parents was in my position how they would feel. I can’t even have a shower.” Miss Ralph said: “The way


things are looking he’ll be stuck up here for Christmas. He has been choking on his medication because of the gas leak. I was here alone with him and I couldn’t get him outside. I thought I had lost him. “He had vomit all over his face


and was choking so much his face turned deep red. It was awful.” An Orbit spokesman said: “Our


Hereford Road, Shepway, whre he lives with his son Ian and carer, Anna Ralph. He says he is physically inca-


pable of leaving his bedroom and fears he will spend Christmas bed- bound if his landlords do not find him a suitable place to live. Mr Foggin said: “Everyone just wants to pass the buck all the time.


The gas leak made my throat so sore and swollen and it’s so hard to breathe. I can’t swallow or eat; I haven’t been able to eat anything since it happened. “The only update I can report is


that I have moved from my chair to the bed. Nobody is interested and I’m depressed. “If there had been a fire, nobody


gas team arrived at 8.21am to fix the leak coming from the back of a cooker. Technically, it was not our responsibility and our position is still the same. It’s really not our place to comment any further.” Maidstone Borough Council said


it would liaise with Orbit, but claimed there was a shortage of suitable social housing.


Burglary bid Dog’s mess sparks violent row


said to have forced their way into the home of an elderly couple, say- ing they were delivering bins. After knocking at the door, the


suspects said they could see dam- age to chimneys which required work. They were refused entry but pushed their way in. The men left


the Maidstone


home when one of the victims said he would call the police. Anyone with information should call the Kent appeals line on 01622 604100 or Kent Crimestoppers anony- mously on 0800 555 111.


Festive fair


GIFTS, cakes and crafts will be on sale and Santa will put in an ap- pearance at Maidstone Mencap’s Christmas Bazaar. The event on 2.30pm Saturday,


November 30, includes a tombola, raffle, and refreshments at Cobtree Hall, School Lane, Maidstone.


Comedy night


MAIDSTONE’S Hazlitt Theatre will provide a line-up of up-and- coming stars from 8pm on Thurs- day, November 21. Tickets are £16.50


4 Maidstone December 2019


A SCAFFOLDER threatened to burn down his girlfriend’s house after a row about dog mess, a court heard. Drunken, former cocaine addict


Gareth Bailey (40), of Cumberland Avenue, spat at officers who were called to help and said he “wished their children would get cancer.” The court heard he also threat-


ened to kill the family dog who was a “trigger” for the outburst. Prosecuting, Debbie Jones told


Maidstone Magistrates Court: “His girlfriend told police she had found her boyfriend in a bad mood. He started getting aggressive and she told him to leave. She told him the relationship was over.” The court heard he later texted


her asking for his things back. He wrote: “My stuff better be ready, or


I’ll burn the ******* house down.” Once officers arrived at the ad-


dress, Bailey launched a tirade of homophobic abuse at them. The court heard Bailey told offi-


cers “if you touch me, I’ll spit in your face” and told them he hoped their children would get cancer. The father of four said he never


gets drunk to an excessive level but does drink throughout the day and is a former cocaine addict. Probation officer Matthew Mor-


ish added: “He is worried he will find himself depressed in custody and mixing with the wrong people will land him in trouble.” Defending himself, Bailey said:


“I’m happy to take the punish- ment, I want to phone my partner and apologise. I was in a bad place and I needed to work on myself.” Bailey admitted threatening be-


haviour, threats to damage or de- stroy


property and common


assault of an emergency worker. Chairman of the bench, Linda


Campin sentenced Bailey to a 12- month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £175 in court costs.


Hotel offers Beatles-themed party


THE Maidstone hotel where The Beatles stayed while film- ing Magical Mystery Tour is hosting a Christmas party. The bar at the Mercure Maid-


stone – Great Danes – continues to display pictures dedicated to the iconic band. Its Christmas Beatles Show


Party runs from 10.30am to 3pm, on November 20 and 21. It offers diners a chance to


enjoy their office get-together over dinner, accompanied by the popular Greatdays duo, who will play a selection of best loved tunes from the Fab Four. The party includes a three-


course festive meal and a Great- days’ charity raffle, in aid of the British Heart Foundation. Tickets are priced at £30, and


organisers say there are no mini- mum numbers. To book, go to www.great-


days.co.uk/ tour/beatles-themed- christmas-party-kent/.


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