Catch up on the latest news from across the county with Abby Hook.
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00:02 - Good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:28 I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories
00:30 on Tuesday the 9th of January.
00:33 Still fighting for justice, Ramsgate man says he was forced
00:37 into giving a false confession in the post office scandal.
00:41 - You guys committed a crime and we face the consequences,
00:44 which is not right at all.
00:46 - Shocking and heartbreaking,
00:49 Lamberhurst family tells their story
00:51 as child abuse cases reach record high.
00:55 - We didn't know where to start.
00:56 We didn't know if we should just pick up the phone
00:58 to the police or, you know,
01:01 what do you do in this situation?
01:05 - And Stones on tour, Maidstone avoids another home tie
01:09 after drawing to face Ipswich Town
01:11 in round four of the FA Cup.
01:14 - It means that, you know, several thousand
01:17 of the supporters of the club will be able to travel
01:19 and go to Ipswich.
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01:24 (dramatic music)
01:27 - Now we'll bring you this story first this evening.
01:32 Almost 13,000 sex offences against children
01:35 were recorded from 2022 to 23 in the Southeast,
01:39 including Kent.
01:41 New figures from the NSPCC show that numbers
01:43 are close to record levels.
01:45 It's prompted a campaign to get adults talking
01:48 and keep children safe.
01:50 One family in Lamberhurst know just how important
01:53 reaching out is.
01:54 Poppy Eyre was abused by her grandfather from a young age.
01:57 At 11 years old, she told her mother, Miranda,
02:00 sparking a change in all of their lives.
02:03 Well, I spoke to Miranda earlier and started by asking
02:05 why she thinks there are so many cases of child abuse.
02:09 - I think for many, many years, people have not reported it.
02:14 They've not known how to, they don't know where to go,
02:17 what support there is out there.
02:19 And I think as well with the way society has been,
02:23 the shame that's associated with it,
02:24 people have not wanted to speak out about it.
02:28 Whereas now that's beginning to, just beginning to change.
02:31 And I would imagine that's why people are starting
02:34 to come forward.
02:36 - And this is something very close to you, your family,
02:39 and of course your daughter, Poppy.
02:40 She was sexually abused as a child,
02:42 and now you're both campaigning for the rights of survivors.
02:46 You even retrained as a counsellor.
02:48 Tell us about that experience and that journey.
02:51 - I was very fortunate to have counselling
02:57 when we found out about Poppy's situation
03:01 whilst we were waiting for Poppy's case to be looked into.
03:06 And as parents, myself and my husband were both offered this
03:12 and it was hugely helpful.
03:14 I mean, to try and understand what that child's been through
03:17 to understand the way a child sees the world.
03:21 I mean, one of the things that was really difficult for us
03:23 is Poppy wanted to protect her perpetrator initially
03:27 'cause she didn't understand just how wrong
03:32 what he'd been doing to her was.
03:34 And I think that and seeing how the counselling helped Poppy,
03:40 it had an immense effect on her.
03:43 She began to understand that what had happened to her
03:46 was so wrong and that gave her the strength
03:49 to go through with the court case
03:51 'cause it's an incredibly scary thing to do for a child,
03:56 let alone for an adult.
03:57 - And it's so vital that Poppy did come forward
04:00 and did tell you what was going on
04:03 so that you could get her the justice
04:05 that she deserved from that, and you did as a family too.
04:08 The campaign today is to encourage adults to reach out
04:11 and to voice concerns they might have
04:14 about a child experiencing something like this.
04:16 Why is that so important?
04:18 And I suppose, what advice would you give
04:19 to people watching this who may be completely unaware
04:22 that something like this could be happening
04:24 or what those signs could be?
04:25 - I mean, from when it initially happened to us,
04:31 firstly, we didn't understand what Poppy was trying
04:34 to tell us in her own way.
04:37 Some of the signs were things like,
04:41 she started telling us that she wasn't a nice person,
04:44 that she had feelings of awful guilt.
04:48 Because of the way the perpetrators work,
04:55 they allow the child to believe that it's their fault,
04:58 that it's happening to them.
05:00 So that would be, I'd say, one sign.
05:03 The other thing is, when we got this news,
05:08 obviously it's horrifying, and we had no experience
05:12 and never heard of anyone that had been through this
05:14 before it happened to us.
05:16 We didn't know where to start.
05:17 We didn't know if we should just pick up the phone
05:20 to the police or, what do you do in this situation?
05:25 And I remember myself and my husband
05:28 sort of scrolling the internet thinking,
05:30 where do we go for help?
05:34 And the NSPCC was somewhere that we did think of,
05:38 but I have to admit, at the time,
05:39 we thought that was more something
05:41 that Poppy could reach out to, rather than us as adults.
05:45 So I think this is enormously helpful
05:50 that adults know there is somewhere to go
05:54 to pick up the phone as that initial support,
05:57 because it's so horrifying when you hear this.
06:01 You're in shock, you don't know where to start.
06:05 So the NSPCC do come to mind for most people
06:09 when a child has been abused,
06:10 but to know that you as an adult can pick up the phone
06:15 to get some advice as to how to approach this,
06:19 because it is complicated,
06:20 is very much needed in my mind.
06:26 - Miranda there talking to me earlier today.
06:30 Now, if you or someone you know may be at risk,
06:32 you can get in touch with the NSPCC helpline
06:34 by calling 0808 800 5000,
06:39 or by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk.
06:43 More information can also be found on their website.
06:46 Now, a man living in Ramsgate says his life was ruined
06:52 when he says he was forced into giving a false confession
06:55 in the post office scandal,
06:57 and was put behind bars for three years.
07:00 Cenopathy Naren Thiran said he was threatened
07:02 by post office auditors who claimed he owed hundreds
07:06 of thousands of pounds.
07:07 He was one of more than 700 caught up in the scandal,
07:11 one post office, while post office says
07:14 it's trying to right the wrongs.
07:16 As Sophia Akin reports.
07:19 - A restaurant owner in Ramsgate
07:20 is trying to restart his life.
07:23 He was once a sub postmaster for the post office,
07:26 but was given a three year jail sentence,
07:29 being accused of stealing thousands of pounds
07:32 from the post office back in 2006.
07:35 But Cenopathy says he was innocent,
07:37 along with hundreds others.
07:39 Some are still fighting for justice today.
07:42 - We got in touch with the help desk
07:44 to find out what's wrong.
07:45 They said nothing wrong with the horizon.
07:48 It's working perfectly all right.
07:49 You must have taken the money,
07:50 or you must have given it too much to somebody or something.
07:53 They always pass the buck to somebody else.
07:55 They don't want to accept anything.
07:57 When I phone, you know, after maybe a week or month
08:00 or something like that, they keep on telling me,
08:02 still it's your fault.
08:04 If it keep on happening,
08:05 something where what you are doing is wrong.
08:08 So make sure that you don't make any mistake
08:10 when you're working behind the counter.
08:13 But they knew it's happening in the post office system,
08:17 but they don't want to accept it from day one.
08:20 Going back to 2005, it's happening in there.
08:24 But they said, no, you are taking the money.
08:26 That's the end of the day.
08:28 You can't fight against the big giants.
08:31 So I said, okay, whatever you say, I will take it.
08:33 It's known as the post office scandal,
08:36 where more than 700 sub-postmasters and mistresses
08:40 were wrongly prosecuted by the post office,
08:42 being accused of theft, false accounting, and even fraud.
08:47 We now know it's due to errors in Horizon IT software.
08:50 And today, the CEO of the post office has handed in her CBE
08:55 after a million signed a petition
08:57 calling for her to do so.
08:58 Back in 2022, the University of Kent
09:01 hosted a panel aiming to shed light on the scandal.
09:04 And if you actually look back,
09:05 there's been very, very heavyweight pieces of journalism
09:08 and some really impressive journalists.
09:10 So Rebecca Thompson,
09:11 who did the first Computer Weekly piece,
09:13 Nick Wallace from the BBC,
09:15 and subsequently Freelance,
09:17 you know, who wrote the, literally wrote the book on it
09:19 and has done tremendous work in investigating it,
09:23 that gathered pace,
09:25 but never really broke through
09:28 in the way that the drama subsequently has.
09:31 And that's the interesting thing.
09:33 Why did that happen in the way after hundreds,
09:35 probably thousands of mainstream media news pieces
09:40 in broadcast and in print,
09:42 why did it take a drama to really, you know,
09:46 get the public's attention in the way that it's had?
09:49 It's fascinating.
09:50 This week, the prime minister has confirmed
09:52 the justice secretary is considering ways
09:54 to help others seek justice and to see convictions quashed.
09:58 A post office spokesperson said,
10:00 "We're doing all we can to right the wrongs of the past
10:04 as far as that is possible.
10:06 Both post office and government are committed
10:08 to providing full, fair, and final compensation
10:11 for the people affected."
10:13 Senapathi hopes in the next few years
10:15 to see his name cleared,
10:17 and he hopes to see justice for more victims
10:19 of the post office scandal.
10:21 Sophia Akin for KMCV.
10:23 Well, Sophia joins me in the studio
10:26 with a bit more detail.
10:27 Sophia, there have been a few updates today
10:30 in what is an ever evolving story and scandal.
10:34 Exactly, Abbie.
10:35 Yeah, we've seen Paula Venels,
10:36 who was the CEO during the time all this happened.
10:40 We've seen her hand in her CBE today.
10:43 There were calls for her to do so,
10:45 a petition which received 1 million signatures
10:48 calling for her to hand in her CBE.
10:50 So, yeah, a little bit of breaking news today.
10:53 And of course, we spoke to Ian Reeves,
10:57 the professor at the Centre for Journalism,
10:59 University of Kent,
11:00 who was talking a little bit about
11:02 the impact the drama's had
11:04 and how many journalists have actually been
11:06 investigating this for years.
11:08 And it's interesting how it's just started
11:10 to gain a little bit more traction,
11:12 even though it's something that's been investigated
11:15 for some time now.
11:16 And of course, just like to reiterate,
11:19 the post office said that they are trying to right the wrongs
11:22 for the hundreds of those who were wrongly convicted
11:26 at the time.
11:27 So we'll have to keep up to date with this story
11:30 as it unfolds and likely to get a little bit more traction
11:33 now that it's out there.
11:35 And now that this drama's sort of publicised it
11:38 a little bit more.
11:39 Well, Sophia, thank you for bringing us those details
11:41 and the story of Cinebathie here in Kent.
11:44 Thank you.
11:45 Now it's time for a very quick break,
11:47 but coming up we'll hear how an ABBA weather alert
11:50 is still in place for Kent.
11:51 See you then.
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15:05 - Hello and welcome back to Kentonite live on KMTV.
15:16 Now a man has been charged with the death
15:18 of a two year old girl, Zara Ghulami,
15:20 was brought to the UK in 2018 from Afghanistan
15:24 after the death of her mother
15:25 and was placed in the care of Jan Ghulami and his wife.
15:29 She died in May, 2020 of a serious head injury,
15:32 which Mr. Ghulami claimed was the result of a fall.
15:35 Patrick Hughes was at the court earlier today
15:37 and sent us this report.
15:39 - I'm here outside Maidstone Crown County Court
15:42 where 32 year old Jan Ghulami has just been found guilty
15:45 of the murder of his two year old adopted daughter,
15:48 Zara Ghulami.
15:49 Zara died in May, 2020 of serious head injuries
15:53 that medical expert who gave evidence said
15:55 was consistent with being thrown to the floor
15:57 or dashed up against the wall.
15:59 Mr. Ghulami and his partner, Rakia,
16:01 were both also found guilty of cruelty
16:03 to a person under the age of 16.
16:05 However, Rakia Ghulami was not found guilty
16:08 of the murder of Zara.
16:10 Jurors were unable to come to a final unanimous verdict
16:13 on the count of murder,
16:14 with the final count being 10 to two,
16:16 guilty to not guilty.
16:17 But on the count of cruelty to a person under the age of 16,
16:21 all 12 jurors found both defendants guilty.
16:24 Jurors were unable to make their mind up
16:26 and give any verdict on the final count,
16:27 which was allowing the death of another person,
16:29 which the judge said,
16:31 "The lack of being able to reach a verdict on this count
16:33 was acceptable in these circumstances
16:35 after deliberating for almost 20 hours."
16:37 A sentencing date has now been set for February the 16th
16:40 for Mr. Ghulami, who has been remanded into custody.
16:45 Next tonight, an amber weather alert is still in place
16:47 across Kent with experts warning of the risk to elderly people.
16:51 It comes after the first snowfall for the county yesterday
16:54 with cold and icy conditions continuing on today.
16:57 Met Office say their warning will remain in place
17:00 until midday on Friday.
17:02 Medway Council have also brought in
17:04 a severe weather emergency protocol
17:06 aimed at keeping rough sleepers safe.
17:08 The UK Health Security Agency say,
17:10 as well as the elderly, young people, pregnant women
17:13 and those with long-term health conditions
17:15 are at an increased risk too.
17:17 Advice is to travel carefully
17:19 and check on loved ones and neighbours during the cold weather.
17:23 Now let's take a full look at the forecast for the coming days.
17:27 The cold chill is continuing tonight throughout the county,
17:36 slightly milder at 3 degrees in Chatham, Zero and Tunbridge Wells.
17:40 Moving into tomorrow morning,
17:41 the sun will be shining, not a cloud in sight,
17:43 but still remember to wrap up lows of 2.
17:46 The sun will be staying right into the afternoon too,
17:48 a lot different to recent weather,
17:50 staying constant except in Ashford 3 degrees.
17:53 And the outlook for Kent, 7 degrees on Thursday,
17:57 the same Saturday, 8 on Friday, a bit of sun.
17:59 Now don't forget you can keep up to date
18:09 with all your latest stories across Kent
18:11 by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
18:15 There you'll find all our reports,
18:16 including this one about animal welfare groups in Kent,
18:20 who say the ban on Excel bullies is punishing innocent dogs
18:23 rather than bad owners.
18:26 A new year and the beginning of a new life for Milo.
18:30 As of the 31st of December, Excel bullies like this one
18:33 must wear a muzzle in public, be neutered
18:36 and kept on lead at all times
18:38 after being listed under the Dangerous Dog Act.
18:41 Now recovering from neutering procedures
18:43 that cost more than £500,
18:45 Milo City Borne owner believes that financial burdens like this
18:49 are designed to railroad owners into destroying their dogs.
18:52 As you've seen over the last few weeks
18:54 since they've announced everything,
18:56 or the last few months should I say,
18:58 I mean everyone's in a situation
19:00 where you're right near Christmas.
19:03 I mean, everybody tries to do their best at Christmas.
19:07 I mean, you don't want to be laying out
19:08 hundreds and hundreds of pounds
19:10 and that is nothing to do with the fact
19:11 because you don't love your dog.
19:12 I mean, I love my dog considerably,
19:14 but when you're put in that position,
19:17 what are you supposed to do?
19:18 And obviously we're lucky enough
19:20 that we've been able to get the money to do it,
19:23 but obviously a lot of people,
19:24 they ain't in that position.
19:26 According to the Office of National Statistics,
19:28 there have been 27 deaths from dog bites
19:30 over the last three years,
19:32 with six in 2022 and 16 in 2023.
19:36 And according to Bullywatch,
19:38 11 of these were caused by Excel bullies.
19:41 But the RSPCA says this ban won't fix the problem
19:44 and will lead to needless cruelty.
19:46 The Excel bully has become a more popular type of dog.
19:50 And unfortunately, when we see breeds
19:51 becoming more popular,
19:53 we tend to see them being exploited
19:55 by individuals for commercial being, basically.
19:58 So what we've seen, certainly in some cases,
20:00 that there are dogs that are being bred
20:03 illegally or irresponsibly,
20:05 they've then been reared poorly,
20:06 and also then in some cases deliberately trained
20:09 to cause harm to people.
20:11 So absolutely, you know,
20:12 there are some Excel bully dogs
20:14 who do pose risk to public safety,
20:17 but there is no such thing as a breed
20:20 that is inherently aggressive.
20:21 We reached out to the UK government for comment.
20:24 In response, the Environment Secretary,
20:26 Steve Barclay, said,
20:27 "The Prime Minister pledged to take quick
20:29 and decisive action to protect the public
20:31 from devastating dog attacks,
20:33 with measures in place by the end of 2023.
20:36 We have met that pledge.
20:38 It is now illegal requirement for Excel bully dogs
20:40 to be muzzled and on a lead in public.
20:43 It is also now illegal to breed, sell, advertise,
20:47 gift, exchange, abandon, or let Excel bully dogs stray."
20:52 Further restrictions come into force on the 1st of February.
20:55 Milo's life behind the muzzle has only just begun.
20:59 Oliver Leeds of the Saks reporting for KMTV.
21:03 Now in sport, and the owner of Maidstone United Football Club
21:06 says it's a relief that the side will play away
21:09 in round four of the FA Cup.
21:11 It comes after the Kent side,
21:12 who are the lowest ranked club still in this year's competition,
21:15 was drawn to face championship side Ipswich.
21:18 The match is due to take place on the weekend of the 27th of January.
21:22 Joint club owner Oliver Sash spoke with our reporter Bartholomew earlier today.
21:27 You know, we had 4,000 in the ground for the Stevenage match.
21:31 It wasn't easy to manage that.
21:33 We had a crowd invasion at the end,
21:36 which is unfortunate because it does take away the fun
21:41 for all of the people around the stadium
21:44 of seeing the team on the pitch on their own.
21:47 But we understand the enthusiasm of the crowd
21:50 and unfortunately there were one or two injuries as a result of that.
21:52 So it's not easy to stage a match at home.
21:55 So in a sense, it's a relief that we're able to go away.
21:59 It means that, you know, several thousand of the supporters of the club
22:03 will be able to travel and go to Ipswich.
22:05 It's not that far.
22:06 It's a good day or even weekend out.
22:10 And the people that work at the club
22:12 and who were busy on the day of the Stevenage match
22:15 will be able to relax and have the trip
22:18 and enjoy watching the team for a change
22:19 rather than having to work while the match is going on around them.
22:24 Well, exciting stuff. Bartholomew joins me in the studio now.
22:27 Really exciting stuff for me.
22:28 So we were talking about it all this week.
22:30 Absolutely. And it wasn't the big kind of Premier League side they were hoping for.
22:34 It wasn't one of the big six, but Ipswich Town absolutely shouldn't be discredited.
22:39 Second in the championship this season, having a really good run of form at the moment.
22:43 And let's face it, for many of these Maidstone United players,
22:45 it's going to be the biggest stadium that they've ever had to play at.
22:48 And for the fans as well, as we heard there,
22:50 they're going to be able to go down in their thousands.
22:53 And it's actually not too far away.
22:56 One hour, 55 minute drive, if you consider that not too much of a drive.
22:59 Will you be making the trip?
23:00 Hopefully so. We're hoping we will be able to go down.
23:03 That's from the Galaga, by the way, the one hour, 55, which actually fans of Maidstone United,
23:08 they're quite used to some of the big drives.
23:10 The furthest drive that they have to have is to Torquay,
23:13 which is down in the south west, of course. Four hours, seven minute drive to get all the way there.
23:20 Absolutely. When they go and play Torquay, the most sort of northern side,
23:24 I say northern, it's obviously just the South League, is Braintree.
23:27 That's only a one hour, 26 minute drive.
23:29 So this is going to be a massive occasion for the club.
23:31 They'll be out in their droves, of course.
23:33 And obviously we heard from Oliver Ashe there today,
23:36 one of the joint owners of the club, really excited about what this is going to mean for the fans.
23:40 He did mention, and he's put it in his notes because Maidstone are playing in their regular league game tonight,
23:44 he put it in his manager's notes about that storming of the pitch that fans did at the end of the game.
23:51 He said that it wasn't ideal.
23:53 Of course, you can understand why fans are so excited.
23:56 It did result in some people having to go to hospital.
23:59 So obviously not ideal. People should stay in their seats and celebrate from the stands.
24:03 Responsibly. Absolutely.
24:05 But elsewhere in sport, Gillingham are set to face one of their own this weekend as they return to league action.
24:11 Goalkeeper Joe Walsh has today extended his loan stay with Accrington Stanley,
24:16 having first joined the League Two side on an emergency basis in early December.
24:21 Walsh came through the youth ranks at the Gilles and signed a three year professional deal with the club in the summer of 2019.
24:27 The Gilles are due to place Accrington Stanley this weekend.
24:30 It's the second time the two clubs have met this season,
24:33 the last being a 1-0 win to Gillingham at home.
24:37 Next, and keep an eye out if you're in Medway,
24:39 because some Invicta Dynamo's hockey players are set to appear on the side of buses.
24:45 The National Ice Hockey League South Division One team has teamed up with bus operator Arriva as part of a new club sponsorship.
24:52 It comes as the Dynamo's lost in a sudden death shootout against the Solent Devils on Sunday
24:56 after a win the previous day against Oxford City Stars.
25:00 The Moes are currently fifth in the table with 24 points.
25:04 Finally for me, Kent men's second XI will play four T20 matches at the Neville Ground in Tunbridge Wells this year.
25:11 The matches will be in support of the eventual return of First XI cricket to the Neville.
25:16 It comes as Kent cricket has announced all of the fixtures for its men's second XI team,
25:20 with matches across all formats taking place at a variety of Kent venues, all of which will be free entry to all.
25:26 Meanwhile, the First XI are due to begin their season with their county championship match against Somerset on Friday 5th April.
25:34 And that is, of course, all the sport from me today, but we'll have a brand new episode, Abby, of Invicta Sport on Friday with plenty more.
25:40 Right after, not right after the break, gosh, I'm skipping ahead to Friday already.
25:45 Few days to go. Yeah, I'm just that excited to have Invicta Sport back on the screens.
25:48 Now, I ask you this question every week and I know it annoys you. Have you played much cricket?
25:52 Cricket, I did at school in my PE lessons, but no, I haven't picked it up since.
25:59 But of course, cricket season starting soon. Really excited to see how Kent are going to do this time around.
26:04 Would love to come along to some of their games and maybe I'll give it a try out.
26:08 There we go. A try out of cricket. I'd love to see you do it. Team try out on Invicta Sport.
26:14 Hopefully so, yeah. Yeah, we'll push it for this Friday.
26:16 It's happening. Well, maybe not this Friday. We'll wait.
26:19 When the season starts, yeah, we'll get you into some cricket. Great stuff.
26:22 Well, you've been watching Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
26:25 There's of course more news made just for Kent throughout the evening.
26:28 And don't forget, you can always keep up to date with the latest news across your county
26:32 by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
26:37 But don't go anywhere, we've got some made in Kent after the break. Enjoy. See you soon. Bye.
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