Offences

A Sittingbourne man is set to appear in court accused of receiving more than £300,000 in illegally-earned funds.

Luke Barling, aged 49 and of Blenheim Road, has been charged with three counts of money laundering, following an investigation by detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.

The money is believed to be linked to alleged fraud offences committed by unknown suspects against 16 victims, most of them elderly, between February and July 2020.

Mr Barling has received a summons to appear at Medway Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 2nd March.

Five charges have been made against a man who is suspected to have burgled five business premises across Folkestone, Sittingbourne and Rochester.

Tony Jackson was arrested by Kent Police officers on Tuesday (25th February) after he was identified as a suspect for offences committed at business parks between Friday 6th December 2019 and Friday 21st February 2020.

The combined total of damage caused, and cash stolen, is estimated to be in excess of £12,000.

Ten charges relating to the theft of fragrances, cleaning products and groceries from various shops in Sittingbourne have been made against one woman.

Michelle Bull is alleged to have targeted stores in the High Street, Eurolink Way, Northwood Drive, Quartz Way and Sheppey Way in Bobbing, on ten occasions between Friday 8th February and Friday 26th April.

The combined value of items stolen is reported to be worth over £1,400.

The 30-year-old, of no fixed address, has been remanded in custody to appear at Medway Magistrates' Court today (Friday 3rd May).

Kent Police officers, on a routine patrol, have arrested a man on suspicion of drug offences in Sittingbourne.

Police were patrolling on Monday (17th September) in Rectory Road when at around 6.00pm a vehicle came to their attention. Officers believed the vehicle may have been involved in drug dealing and carried out a search.

Inside the car officers found drugs, cash, scales and plastic bags. Further searches of the driver's home address also revealed more cash, a number of mobile phones and an amount of cannabis.

A teenage girl was forced to carry a mobile phone with an earpiece and microphone attached by a controlling man so he could eavesdrop on her conversations.

Rique Wall would also insist she speak to him for hours on end, dictated when she could leave her Sittingbourne home, and carried out a number of sexual offences against her.

Wall, 32, of Kimberley Road in Croydon, committed the offences between April 2014 and July 2016.

Five people from two families have been jailed after pleading guilty to producing and supplying drugs.

Brothers Rhys and Kyle Seager and their father, Antony Seager, all of Peregrine Drive in Sittingbourne, were all jailed earlier this month at Maidstone Crown Court Following an investigation by Kent Police's Operation Jupiter team.