Local News

The annual selection of the Sittingbourne Carnival Court was held at the Woodcoombe Sports and Social Club in Murston on Saturday (9th March).

Four young ladies entered the competition and were judged individually by Rosie Trickey from Deal, Kingsdown and Walmer Carnival Association, Lauren McCall from the Sheppey Carnival Association, Sophie-Marie Dane - former Miss European England and Mr Terry West, President of Teynham Carnival Association.

After their individual interviews each girl then spoke on stage to the audience, giving information about themselves. It was a very close competition between the young ladies who entered and the judges had a hard time deciding on the winner. Over 150 people supported the event, including 12 visiting Carnival Courts from around Kent, the contestants' families and friends and members of the public.

The new Court for 2019 was announced as:-
Miss Sittingbourne 2019 - Charlotte Jordan (aged 15)
Joint Sittingbourne Princesses 2019 - Chloe Amey-Ayress (aged 15) and Yazmin Lewis (almost 14)
Reserve Princess - Olivia Kay (aged 15)

The age limit was lowered this year to include those born in 2005, so long as they are aged 14 by the time the Carnivals start in June tey were able to enter.

All members of the new Court live in the Sittingbourne area and have said they are very excited to start their new venture.

Liz Swan, Chairperson of Sittingbourne Carnival Association, told SFM News: "They are a lovely Court and I am very much looking forward to working with them in the forthcoming year."

Sittingbourne's Carnival Day this year is Saturday 22nd June - and will be sponsored by 106.9 SFM.

A distinctive tattoo on a burglar's hand has led to him being jailed for seven and a half years after he admitted threatening a woman with a knife in Sheerness.

Charlie Gannon, 21, of Valley Side, Chingford, was jailed on Friday (15th February) at Maidstone Crown Court after he admitted one count of aggravated burglary.

The judge heard how Gannon, along with three other men, targeted a house in Sheerness High Street at around 1.00pm on Sunday 7th October 2018.

The victim was in the living room of the house with her young child when the men knocked on the door. She opened the door and the group asked to speak to a man inside the house.

The victim then shut the door to check if the man was available, however when she returned to the front door Gannon stated they were there to rob them and shouted to the victim to go upstairs and hand over valuable items.

As he was saying this Gannon and another man forced their way into the house with the victim then hearing one of the men shouting about using a knife.

The woman shouted for the other men to help and at this point Gannon and the other man started backing up towards the front door. The woman managed to push both men out the front door and close the door. Gannon and the other man continued to push and kick at the door before they leave.

Following the incident officers then carried out an investigation identifying the people involved.

CCTV from the property revealed one of the men had a distinctive tattoo on his left hand. Officers then cross referenced this from a social media profile on Facebook and Gannon was identified. Forensic results also confirmed two fingerprints found on the front door belonged to Gannon. The other three people involved have not yet been identified.

Gannon was arrested on Monday 8th October 2018 and subsequently charged.

Investigating officer PC Mike Wills told SFM News: "This was a frightening incident in which four men attempted to enter a home where a child was present, in order to commit a robbery. Not only was force used to gain entry but the presence of a knife also increased the fear felt by the victim and I would like to commend her bravery in attempting to and ultimately pushing Gannon and the others out of the property. Gannon has received a lengthy sentence which reflects the level of violence used in this incident."

There have been long delays on the M2 motorway at Junction 5 (Sittingbourne) this afternoon, after a broken down van caught fire.

Traffic on the London-bound carriageway was held just after the Stockbury roundabout to allow emergency services to get to the scene and deal with the blaze.

The road was closed for around an hour causing long delays. No injuries have been reported.

Kent Fire And Rescue Service (KFRS) Firefighters dealt with a fire at a house in Peregrine Drive, Sittingbourne earlier today (Tuesday 15th January).

Fire crews were called at around 10.20am and had to wear breathing apparatus using two hose reel jets, a main jet and water from a local street hydrant to put the fire out.

The fire broke out in the roof space and affected the first floor of the two-storey terraced property.

There were no reported casualties and the cause of the fire is yet to be established.