Local News

A drunk van driver, who ploughed into a car and killed a schoolgirl in Bobbing, has been jailed for seven years.

Benjamin Henley was more than two and a half times over the drink drive limit when he collided with a black Audi which had broken down on a slip road on the A249 on Wednesday 24th October 2018.

Henley, 45, of Illustrious Close, Chatham, failed to spot the Audi before he collided with it at around 11.50pm.

Georgia Mann, who was 15 and from Sittingbourne, was taken to a London hospital where she died on the morning of Friday 26 October.

A woman in her 20s also sustained serious injuries and a man in his 20s was taken to hospital with chest injuries. Both have since recovered.

Henley was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Monday (20th September) to seven years in jail after admitting causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was also disqualified from driving for nine and a half years and will have to take an extended retest. 

Georgia was inside the stranded vehicle after the car had run out of petrol. The driver had left her along with another person, inside the vehicle while he walked to get petrol, before Henley collided with the car.

The driver of the Audi was charged with causing death by careless driving but was previously acquitted following a trial.

Investigating officer Darren Chapman of Kent Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit told SFM News: "This sentencing has come nearly three years after the collision, and I want to commend the bravery and stoicism that Georgia’s family have displayed throughout court proceedings. This was an awful incident in which a young girl lost her life and while no sentence will bring Georgia back, I hope the outcome provides some closure."

Councillors are being asked to approve a £1.48 million contract to maintain and improve Swale’s green spaces.

Swale Borough Council confimed that they have reviewed their current ground maintenance contract which includes country parks, parks and recreation grounds, play areas, burial grounds and sports pitches around the borough.

After holding the contract since 2007, Blenwood Ltd re-tendered for the contract and were found to be the most financially viable option.

If approved, the contractor could be awarded the five-year contract when the current contract ends in January 2022.

Cllr Julian Saunders, cabinet member for environment at Swale, told SFM News: “We have more than 600 sites across Swale totalling almost 2 million square metres that need regular maintenance all year round. The grounds maintenance contract is one of our largest services and includes cutting grass, managing hedges, providing sports pitches and removing litter from our country parks, recreation grounds and play areas. When reviewing the contract, we wanted to make sure that we were getting a service that supports our commitment to the climate and ecological emergency, improved litter management and provided better local employment conditions.”

Cllr Eddie Thomas, deputy cabinet member for environment at the council, added: “The tender included a commitment from the successful contractor to pay a real living wage, reduce pesticides, increase biodiversity, introduce electric vehicles and equipment, and provide litter clearance seven days a week. We are lucky enough to have such a huge number of green spaces, parks and beaches in Swale, and with that comes a responsibility on our contractors to maintain a safe space for everybody to enjoy.”

The grounds maintenance contract will be discussed the next council cabinet meeting on Wednesday 22nd September at Swale House.

The meeting agenda and full report can be found here.

A cleaner who stole around £50,000 from a customer has been jailed.

Jennifer Richards stole the money from an elderly man whom she cleaned for between October 2017 and February 2018.

The 50-year-old was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court yesterday (Monday 13th September) to two years and three months in jail after being found guilty of one count of fraud by false representation and one count of theft, following a trial.

Richards from Sittingbourne, befriended the man, who was in his 70s, during her employment where she worked for him for more than two years. However, while working for the man she used his bank details to transfer a total of £28,325 from his online account to her own. On several occasions she also used his bank card to make cash withdrawals totalling £4,540. She also asked the victim for a loan of £9,000 which he agreed.

The victim wrote Richards a cheque, but Richards told him the cheque would not clear quickly enough so, believing the cheque had been ripped up, he agreed to do a bank transfer of £9,000. The offender then banked the cheque, stealing a further £9,000.

The fraud came to light on 21st February 2018 when the man attempted to pay toward a credit card bill, but his debit card was declined. He contacted his bank who told him that thousands of pounds of withdrawals had been made on his account during the month of February.

Kent Police was contacted and an investigation was commenced, leading to Richards being arrested on 28 April 2018 after a warrant was carried out at her home. 

During the search officers found some bank statements which covered the time period of January 2017 to November 2017. On the bank statements there was one transaction from the victim’s account going into Richards’ account. Further bank statements were obtained which also showed large deposits from the victim’s account being paid to her.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Madeline Brackley told SFM News: "Richards was entrusted into the victim’s home, but she abused that trust in a despicable way. This was a planned and meticulous theft where she stole from him over several months and on several occasions. She preyed on his kindness and vulnerability but continued to deny her crimes resulting in a trial. I am pleased that she has received a custodial sentence."

Detectives investigating drug supply in Swale have arrested and charged five people following the search of the disused Merlins nightclub on the Isle Of Sheppey.

Officers attended the building on Leysdown Road in Leysdown on Friday (10th September) afternoon, where they found four separate rooms containing a total of more than 3,000 cannabis plants.

Five men were arrested at the scene and have all been remanded in custody ahead of their appearance at Medway Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (Monday 13th September).

They are Thomas Dunne, aged 69, and his son Tommy Dunne, 22, of Leysdown Road, both of whom have been charged with cultivating cannabis and abstraction of electricity, and Indrit Gaxhenji, 34, Oligert Alija, 19, and Arditi Hoxha, 18, all of no fixed address and who have also been charged with cultivating cannabis.

It is understood that parts of Leydown were without electricity for a large part of Friday evening whilst UK Power Networks dealt with disconnecting supply to the cultivation.