News
Man on trial for Jamie stabbing
THE fiancée of a devoted dad stabbed to death through the heart wept as she relived the final moments of his life in court. A jury heard how father of three
Jamie Simmons (29) identified his attacker as childhood friend Kieron Nicholson (29) before he died on May 4.
Charlotte Muddiman, who
shared an 11-week-old daughter at the time with Mr Simmons, said she could feel “the wetness of his blood” on her back as she at- tempted to shield him from getting hurt. A fight erupted after friend Jack McCann made a crude remark to Mr Simmons about Miss Mud- diman.
Prosecutor Ahmed Hossain QC told the jury how Mr McCann had said: “You sort the kids out and I’ll sort your missus out” as Mr Sim- mons made his way back into the family home in Cambridge Cres- cent, Shepway. At first, Mr McCann pleaded
with an angry Mr Simmons saying: “I was joking. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
In an upstairs kitchen, Mr Nicholson ran through the flat and grabbed a knife from a drawer. He then proceeded to wave the weapon at the couple.
Holding Mr Simmons’ back,
Miss Muddiman put her arms up to protect herself but was struck by the knife multiple times herself. Miss Muddiman took a break from evidence at Maidstone Crown Court as she described how the blood stain got larger and larger on Mr Simmons’ vest al- though he was still able to stand. The defendant told detectives he
played no part in the stabbing and had acted as peacemaker between Mr McCann and the victim. Mr Nicholson, 29, of Vicarage Lane, East Farleigh, is on trial be- fore Judge Philip Statman accused of murder.
The trial continues. Garden for cleaner air
WATERINGBURY has officially opened its air quality garden aimed at re- ducing pollution. The green space is located at the busy crossroads in the heart of the village and contains grasses which absorb harmful particu- lates such as nitrogen oxide and attract pollinators. National Lottery funding contributed towards the cost of the commu-
nity project, which also involved the village hall trustees who lent their water supply. The Friends of Wateringbury, who planted it, will maintain the gardens. Pictured are MP Tom Tugendhat, Cllr Sarah Hudson, Rod Hannan, Den- nis Stones, Michael Williams, Nicholas Heslop and Kay Williams. Mr Tugendhat said: “The volume of traffic through the busy crossroads
in Wateringbury makes the area a hotspot for pollution. It was a pleasure to help open the gardens and the work of all volunteers, led by Borough Councillor Sarah Hudson, to achieve this has been exceptional.” Cllr Sarah Hudson said: “We have long tried to reduce pollution from the
A26 running through the village. I am delighted that a community pro- ject has resulted in these gardens.”
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