Local News

Officers from the Kent Police Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) are appealing for witnesses following the death of a pedestrian close to Sittingbourne train station at the weekend.

Police were called at around 11.25pm on Saturday (10th March) to reports of a collision involving a lorry, on St Michael's Road. Police and ambulance crews attended and a man was declared dead at the scene.

Officers from the SCIU would now like to hear from anyone who witnessed the collision, or who saw the pedestrian or lorry beforehand.

If you can help, please contact them on 01622 798538 quoting SCIU/MS/035/18. Alternatively you can email: sciu.td@kent.pnn.police.uk.

Officers who stopped a car in Old Ferry Road, Iwade have charged a woman with drugs offences.

Daisy Ann Taylor, 24, of Regis Crescent in Sittingbourne was stopped driving a Volkswagen Golf with four passengers in the early hours of Monday (19th February) morning.

Enquiries led officers conduct a search at a house in Sittingbourne and an amount of suspected crack cocaine was seized.

Ms Taylor was charged with possession of crack cocaine with intent to supply, possession of heroin with intent to supply, using a car without insurance and driving without a licence. She will appear before Medway Magistrates Court later today (Tuesday, 20th February).

Her passenger, 21-year-old Rasheen Taylor, of Consort Road, East Peckham, was arrested and charged with possessing a knife. He has been bailed to appear before Medway Magistrates Court on Friday 9th March.

Officers also arrested a 15-year-old girl from Sheerness, a 19-year-old woman from Sheerness and a 20-year-old man from Gillingham. They were all released without charge.

Kent Police are appealing for information after the body of a man was found by Sheppey Way in Iwade earlier today (Wednesday 14th February). Officers were called at 7.49am after a passer-by found the man lying by the roadside.

At this stage the cause of death is unknown.

Detective Inspector Chris Dovey, leading the investigation, told SFM News: "We are working on a number of lines of enquiry to establish the cause of death. One possibility is that the deceased was involved in a road traffic collision. Therefore I would ask motorists who have driven along Sheppey Way within the last 24 hours to carefully check their vehicles for signs of a collision. Alternatively if you have any information that may help police with this investigation, please contact us."

The road was closed for several hours from the Kingsferry Roundabout to the junction of Old Ferry Road.

If you have any information that could assist officers, please contact 101 quoting reference 14-170.

A thief has been jailed for ramming a stolen telehandler through the wall of a Sheppey supermarket in a failed attempt to steal two cash machines.

Following the incident Kieron Armstrong, 39, of Brays Mead in Harlow, Essex, drove a car at speeds of up to 150mph to try to escape police before crashing into a roundabout and being arrested.

He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to attempted theft, damaging property, aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving and driving while disqualified. The judge also banned him from driving for eight years.

The case was investigated by detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.

Armstrong and others had stolen the telehandler from a nearby location before using it to cause extensive damage to the wall of the store in Thomsett Way, Queenborough, in the early hours of Saturday 16th September last year.

CCTV footage showed the digger smash into bollards in front of the cashpoint area at 1.35am. After knocking one over, it surged forwards and repeatedly rammed into the wall of the supermarket causing significant and costly damage.

A large section of brickwork then collapsed after the offenders attached straps to the machines and attempted to pull them from the wall.

Armstrong and his accomplices abandoned their efforts soon after and fled the scene in two separate vehicles - a flatbed van and a stolen Audi.

Officers located the van abandoned close to the Sheppey Crossing. The Audi, driven by Armstrong, was spotted moments later and pursued onto the M2 London-bound.

He turned the vehicle's lights off and sped away, travelling at speeds of up to 150mph before crashing into a roundabout off Junction 3 for Chatham.

Armstrong was found lying in dense undergrowth by a police dog named Merlin and was subsequently arrested.

Crowbars, bolt croppers, metal bars and other items were found within the vehicle.

Detective Inspector Gary Scarfe told SFM News: "This was a brazen attempt by offenders who had clearly planned the offence, knowing there would be staff working within the store but showing no concern for their safety as they repeatedly rammed the wall. Armstrong and his accomplices hoped to cash in on what they thought was a soft target without any consideration of the damage and potential harm it could cause. Thankfully nobody was injured. He will now have a substantial amount of time in prison to reflect on his failed efforts.'

Armstrong was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday 7th February).