Local News

A prolific shoplifter, who repeatedly targeted supermarkets across Swale and stole items totalling around £1,000, has been jailed.

Mark Hewitt was responsible for a catalogue of offences since May 2023, stealing meat and alcohol from shops including Sainsbury’s, Aldi, and Marks and Spencer.

Hewitt, of Crown Quay Lane, Sittingbourne, was initially arrested by Kent Police on Sunday 7th May, as part of the force’s ongoing clampdown on shoplifting. He was charged and released on bail pending a court appearance but continued to steal. He was arrested again on 21 July and charged with further offences. While he was detained, Hewitt caused damage to police property by throwing food and urinating in his cell.

After appearing before court, the 48-year-old was subject to bail conditions prior to sentencing but his crimewave continued. On Saturday 5th August, an off-duty officer witnessed Hewitt committing another theft at a shop in East Street, Sittingbourne and it was later discovered he had taken items from the same store in an earlier incident that day.

Hewitt was arrested and whilst being taken into custody subjected two officers to a tirade of racial abuse. He was remanded to Medway Magistrates’ Court and sentenced on Monday 7th August, having pleaded guilty to nine counts of theft, two counts of racially aggravated harassment, and two counts of criminal damage. Hewitt was jailed for a year and fined almost £200.

Sergeant John Sangster, of the Swale Victim Based Crime Team, told SFM News: "Shoplifting has a detrimental impact on businesses and the local community and Kent Police takes all reports of such offences seriously. Hewitt repeatedly targeted stores in areas including Faversham, Sittingbourne and Queenborough and subjected our officers to abhorrent and unacceptable abuse. He is a career criminal who has shown no remorse for his actions. This sentence is just another example of our crackdown on shop thieves in the district, which has seen 73 charges authorised in June and July. We are continuing to focus on tackling anti-social behaviour, including shoplifting, as part of the force's ongoing Safer Summer initiative."

A new CCTV image has been released by detectives investigating two burglaries in Teynham.

On Monday 3rd July a man called at an address in Station Road and told the resident he was there to check the smoke alarms. He was allowed into the address and, after he left, the occupant found a quantity of cash was missing.

On the same day, a pensioner also living in Station Road, was visited by a man who said he had been sent to check the electrics at the premises. Once the man had left the victim found their purse had been stolen.

Detective Constable Emma Laimbeer, of the Kent Crime Squad, told SFM News: "We have been carrying out various enquiries and previously released a CCTV image of a man we wish to talk to. Following further enquiries we are now in a position to release a new image of the same man, who we are still keen to identify. We are urging anybody who recognises the person or has information which may assist our enquiries to contact our appeal line."

Anyone with any information is urged to call Kent Police on 01795 419 119, quoting crime reference 46/118895/23. Alternatively they can call Kent Crimestoppers, FREE and anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or complete the online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org

People visiting Swale’s award-winning beaches this summer are being reminded to stay safe on the coast.

The beaches on the Island remain popular every year, and Swale Borough Council is again partnering with the RNLI to make sure people stay safe at Sheerness and Leysdown beaches.

Lifeguard cover began operating on Leysdown-on-Sea and Sheerness beaches seven days a week, from Saturday 8th July and will be there until Sunday 3rd September, having covered weekends and Bank Holidays since 27th May earlier this year. 

Swale Borough Council has worked with the RNLI for the last 10 years to provide lifeguard cover at local bathing beaches, with incidents remaining low.

In recent years the RNLI has struggled to recruit local lifeguards and have been relying on bringing in people from other areas to cover our beaches. Now, for a range of global reasons, other areas are also struggling to recruit, so the pool of specially trained lifeguards is smaller.

Because of this, the RNLI have taken a decision based on risk assessments to prioritise the busy Leysdown beach, and Sheerness beach where the currents are more likely to catch people unaware. This means the quieter Minster Leas beach will not have a lifeguard presence this year, and despite meeting all of the rest of criteria such as water quality, will be unable to fly the Blue Flag.

Cllr Monique Bonney, committee chair for regeneration and property, told SFM News: “Every summer we welcome thousands of people to the Island to explore and have fun on our beaches and we want to make sure everyone has a safe and enjoyable visit, so they want to come back again. Having the RNLI lifeguards is a welcome reassurance to people, so we are disappointed we’ve not been able to have enough recruits to provide the usual level of cover. If you know of anybody interested, please let us know".

Cllr Bonney want on to add: "To help mitigate this, we are working to bring in some on shore first aid support – which is a large part of the work the lifeguards carry out – and we are working to remind people that they need to take care when in, on or around the water, regardless of whether there is a lifeguard in sight. There’s lots of information and advice on the RNLI website, and I’d urge everyone to have a look at their float to live advice. We want people to have a great summer on our beaches, and we encourage, where possible, people to visit a lifeguarded beach, know the risks, understand the flags, leave inflatables at home and stay safe.”

Charlie Frame, RNLI Lead Lifeguard Supervisor told SFM News: “We’re glad to be back on Sheppey this summer, and hope everyone visiting the coast has a safe and enjoyable time. We advise people to head to a lifeguarded beach, check the weather and tide times before visiting and if they do get into difficulty, or spot someone in trouble, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. Despite our best efforts, we have struggled to find new recruits to fill all the roles we have, but we’re confident the cover being provided is appropriate for the risk profiles of the Island’s beaches. We did have several local people interested in what is a fantastic summer job, but they either didn’t complete their application or weren’t able to meet the necessary standard for working on open water.”

The charity is continuing to try and recruit lifeguards to cover Minster-on-Sea and as such the lifeguard unit will remain on the beach in case the service can be resumed at some point during the summer. If anyone is interested in lifeguarding they can go to: https://summerjobs.rnli.org/become-a-lifeguard/find-a-job

For more information about Swale’s beaches visit the council's website: www.swale.gov.uk/seafront.

For more information on beach safety in general: https://rnli.org/safety/beach-safety

Detectives investigating two reported burglaries in Teynham have released a CCTV image. On Monday 3rd July, a man called at an address in Station Road and advised the resident he was there to check the smoke alarms. He was allowed into the address and, after he left, the occupant found a quantity of cash was missing.

On the same day, a pensioner also living in Station Road, was visited by a man who said he had been sent to check the electrics at the premises. Once the man had left the victim found their purse had been stolen.

Detective Constable Emma Laimbeer, of the Kent Crime Squad, told SFM News: ‘We have been investigating these incidents, including the examination of CCTV footage in the area, and are now able to release an image of a man we would like to identify. We are urging anybody who recognises the person or has information that may assist our enquiries to contact our appeal line.’

Anyone with any information is urged to contact Kent Police on 01795 419 119, quoting crime reference 46/118895/23. Alternatively they can also call Crimestoppers FREE and anonymously on 0800 555 111 or complete an online form on their website: www.crimestoppers-uk.org