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00:00Hello and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:28I'm Bartholomew Hall, here are your top stories on Thursday the 18th of July.
00:33Suspected rape, arrest in Gillingham following alleged assault in early hours.
00:39The police cordon has been completely taken down now, that happened around 10.40am this
00:43morning and people are using the park as they would on a sunny evening.
00:48Schools not out yet, fines set to increase as more children are being taken out of school.
00:54There needs to be a deterrent from students being absent from school because that's the
00:59place where they're safest and their education is most secure.
01:02Ramped up, we meet Kent's up and coming BMX racer who says he'll stop at nothing for a
01:07spot in Team GB.
01:09I'm passionate about the sport, I want to be there, that's really all I train for, race
01:14for, it's everything, that's what I want to do.
01:24Good evening, a 25-year-old man has been arrested after police were called to report
01:31that a woman in her 20s was raped in Gillingham this morning.
01:35Marlborough Road near the High Street was cordoned off as well as a large part of Great
01:39Lines Heritage Park.
01:41Brompton Academy warned parents and children to avoid the area and police want to speak
01:45with anyone who was there between midnight and 6am this morning.
01:49Abbey Hook sent us this report.
01:51The police cordon has been completely taken down now, that happened around 10.40am this
01:55morning and people are using the park as they would on a sunny evening like it is today.
02:01But it was forensic officers and I counted when I was here this morning around five emergency
02:05vehicles were in the Marlborough Road area and here next to Great Lines Heritage Park
02:12and since then a man has been arrested following the alleged rape that happened this morning
02:16in Gillingham.
02:17The bottom of Marlborough Road was cordoned off near the Falcon Cafe in both directions
02:22and the surrounding streets were also shut.
02:24Residents told me they were woken around 6am this morning to police entering the road and
02:29setting up that really large cordon, telling me they were shocked, many had no idea what
02:34had gone on, what was going on in the area and it's right opposite their houses, two
02:38metres, three metres away from their front doors.
02:40Kent Police has since confirmed they were called around 5.45am to report a woman had
02:45been raped.
02:47As I said, a man has been arrested and enquiries are still ongoing.
02:50While I was there this morning, officers were knocking on doors, asking local residents
02:54for any information if they had seen or heard anything and for CCTV and as I said, a really
02:59large cordon was set up in the park.
03:01At that time of day, quite a busy area so police avoiding anyone from accessing that
03:07area, accessing inside the cordon.
03:09They were searching and taking photographs within that area too.
03:13Busy because people walk their dogs through the park as well but mainly children at that
03:17time in the morning on their way to the two local schools, one being Brompton Academy.
03:22This morning, Principal Dan Walters sent a letter to parents in it.
03:26He urged them to take care travelling in, adjust journey times if possible for children
03:30to travel safely and avoid the area and that senior staff were available in the community
03:35for support.
03:36So it had a huge impact here in Gillingham, being so close to those two primary schools,
03:40so close to the high street and a really busy park that's used a lot of the time, especially
03:45in warm weather like I said earlier.
03:47The police cordon was taken down while I was there at 10.40am as I said and roads were
03:52reopened.
03:53Some officers left the scene not long after while others continued with their inquiries.
04:00Now a teenager has been detained under the Mental Health Act following an incident at
04:04the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Gravesend.
04:07A 17-year-old was due to appear in youth court after being charged with six offences after
04:12two women were injured last Thursday.
04:14However, magistrates heard that the teenager has been sectioned and moved to a hospital
04:18in another part of the country where a preliminary mental health report is due to be carried
04:23out.
04:24The next hearing is on the 25th of July.
04:27An unexploded wartime bomb has been discovered at a school in Canterbury.
04:32Staff and pupils at St John's Church of England Primary School were evacuated from the main
04:36building and moved to the playing field for safety as police and military personnel could
04:41be seen on the premises.
04:42It's understood the bomb squad removed the ordnance from a space in the roof of the building
04:46at around three o'clock this afternoon.
04:49The school has since sent a text message to parents explaining the incident is being dealt
04:53with and urged them to collect children early.
04:58Next night, tomorrow many schools in Kent will be breaking up for the summer but will
05:01many of the students be going on holiday in that six-week break?
05:05New figures suggest maybe not as parents are opting for the cheaper getaways offered
05:10in term time.
05:11Schools are now being advised to fine parents if their child has missed five days of school
05:15without a headteacher's permission with an £80 fine.
05:19Jasmine Sandar has been looking into the new guidance.
05:23Missing a bit of school here or there isn't something that would usually be classed as
05:26a crime but with unauthorised absences at an all-time high, the penalties for not being
05:31in class are about to get a little bit stricter.
05:35Until now, councils in Medway and Kent have had their own policies on when to issue fines
05:40but to create a more uniform approach, new guidelines are putting a number on what's
05:44allowed.
05:45Schools across England are being told to consider a fine after a child has missed five days
05:50of school without the headteacher's permission.
05:54Previously when this happened there was a fine of £60 per parent per child but from
05:59September this will increase to £80.
06:02And if parents fail to pay this within 21 days it doubles to £160.
06:07Failure to pay a penalty at all can result in prosecution.
06:11Unauthorised absences are defined as not turning up to school without permission, being consistently
06:16late and missing formal exams.
06:18But why is school attendance so important?
06:21We spoke to headteacher David Jones to find out.
06:24There needs to be a deterrent from students being absent from school because that's the
06:29place where they're safest and their education is most secure.
06:32The places that instil values and create the young people that are going to go out and
06:37be the citizens and leaders of our communities for tomorrow.
06:41Without a solid school environment, without a decent attendance, students are missing
06:45out on a lot of opportunities to establish who they are going to be as the adults they're
06:51going to be in the future.
06:53Education is built on a series of curriculums from each subject and the curriculum is built
06:57in such a way that if you miss a portion of it, you're missing out on a section of
07:01learning that you may not return to for another academic year.
07:05According to a report from the Department of Education, in Kent and Medway alone over
07:1013,000 penalty notices were issued in the 2022-2023 academic year.
07:16That's a 71% increase from the year before.
07:19Of these, nearly 90% were penalties for unauthorised holiday reasons.
07:24Since 2020, the amount of absences linked to holiday has been rising steeply and has
07:28already overtaken pre-pandemic levels.
07:31So why are parents taking their children out of term time rather than during the designated
07:35school holidays?
07:36I've jumped onto Jet2 to look at holiday packages to Marbella for two adults and two children.
07:42And in the middle of September during term time, the cheapest one is coming up at £746.
07:47Now I'm going to look at the same holiday package but in the middle of August and it's
07:51coming up at £879.
07:54So that's a difference of £133, which easily covers that minimum fine of £80 and even
08:00covers most of the higher £160 penalty as well.
08:03I had a look at other sites and the results were coming up exactly the same.
08:07Well, clearly the prices are a lot cheaper during term time and the fines don't seem
08:12to be making too much of a difference to that at all.
08:15But I do still wonder if they will have an effect on parents' decisions about when they
08:19choose to go abroad.
08:20I think it's ridiculous.
08:21I don't think they should charge at all.
08:22It's cheaper to go out in school holidays and stuff like that on holidays for parents
08:27and kids and stuff like that.
08:28So yeah, in my opinion, I think it's wrong or they should just make it cheaper for everyone
08:34just to go on holiday and enjoy family time.
08:36That was Jasmine Sandar reporting for us there.
08:38Now don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across the county
08:42by logging onto our website, kmtv.co.uk.
08:46There you'll find all of our reports including this one about a prehistoric discovery in
08:50Favisham.
08:51What might look like a field just south of Favisham is actually home to one of the biggest
08:55archaeological dig sites in the country and what experts have found here is sure to rock
09:00the archaeological world.
09:02Kent is certainly a historic place but much of it might be where we can't see it.
09:07Right now I'm inside one of the archaeological excavations down here in the Lees Court Estate
09:12just south of Favisham.
09:14Experts believe the site was once a burial site or ceremony ground dating as far back
09:18as 3000 or 1500 BC, the Neolithic or Bronze Age period.
09:24To put this in perspective, the Neolithic Age was the cusp of human society when people
09:29learned to cultivate plants and domesticate animals for food, moving away from the hunter-gatherer
09:34structure.
09:35Now in their excavations 50 centuries later, the team discovered chippings of flint that
09:40show the remains of the process of making stone tools as well as fragments of rare decorated
09:45pottery that are older than the Romans coming to Kent.
09:49And most interestingly, they found evidence of prehistoric human cremations.
09:54It was never really believed that Neolithic people occupied this part of Kent to any great
09:59extent and what we've done through our excavations over the years, a combination of professional
10:06archaeologists and volunteer archaeologists, we've been able to suggest or even show that
10:13there is a very large prehistoric community in this area.
10:19They're not living here, what they're doing is they're burying their dead here.
10:23The next steps are key for the society.
10:26They'll spend months reviewing and archiving the information, making sure that Kent further
10:30earns its spot in our country's history books.
10:33Finn McDermott for KMTV.
10:36Well before we go to a break, let's take a look at the weather.
10:38With warmer temperatures on the horizon, the Met Office has issued a 54-hour heat warning
10:43with parts of Kent set to be as hot as, get this, Ibiza.
10:47The yellow alert was in place from 5pm today and it lasts until 11pm on Saturday.
10:52So with that in mind, let's take a look at the rest of the forecast.
11:00Tonight you can expect clear skies with highs of 18 degrees in Dover, lows of 16 in Tunbridge Wells.
11:06As we head into tomorrow morning, expect to feel that heat and see some sunshine.
11:11Highs of 25 up in Dartford.
11:13It's not going away.
11:14Friday afternoon is only getting warmer with highs of 28 in the north of the county.
11:20And here's your outlook for the rest of the week.
11:21A mixture of cloudy skies and some drizzle, some sunshine peeking through those clouds.
11:30Now it's time to take a short break but coming up we'll have news from the world of sport
11:39including the appointment of a new coach at Kent Cricket, why one young person from Tunbridge
11:44Wells is wanting to take on BMX racing full-time and a preview into tonight's episode of Kent
11:50Film Club with Ian Reeves.
11:51See you after the break.
13:30Thanks for tuning in.
13:31I'm Ian Reeves.
13:32I'll see you next time.
13:33Thanks for tuning in.
13:34I'm Ian Reeves.
13:35I'll see you next time.
14:00Thanks for tuning in.
14:01I'm Ian Reeves.
14:02I'll see you next time.
14:30I'm Ian Reeves.
14:31I'll see you next time.
15:00Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
15:17Time now to take a look at some of the sport headlines and Kent Cricket has named Mark
15:21Decker as the county side interim head coach for the next week's One Day Cup.
15:26The former Zimbabwe Test cricketer will overtake head coach duties from Matt Walker whilst
15:30he returns to his coaching role with Oval Invincibles during the 100.
15:35Kent will start their 50-over campaign against Somerset at Taunton next Friday following
15:39a friendly on Tuesday with Bedfordshire.
15:43It comes as Kent are due to finish their disappointing T20 blast campaign against Surrey tomorrow
15:47night at Canterbury.
15:49The Spitfires will be bottom of the South group regardless of the result.
15:53Australian all-rounder Tom Rogers doesn't believe, however, that it means Kent have
15:56been written off.
15:57Yeah, like I said, the boys have been putting in off away from games on the training paddock
16:05and they're as keen as anyone to make sure that they put their best foot forward on Friday
16:09night.
16:10You know, there's a big momentum to take into the one days for this squad and then again
16:18over into the county season or Red Bull season as well.
16:22So, lots to be had for this group.
16:25Meanwhile, on the opening day of England's second test with the West Indies, Kent's Zac
16:29Crawley was out for a duck after just three bowls bowled.
16:33Despite a strong performance with the bat in the first test, the opening batsman for
16:36England was dismissed after just two minutes at the crease after a good bit of bowling
16:40from West Indian bowler Alzari Joseph.
16:43As it stands, England are 360 for six.
16:47Now after their nil-nil draw with Millwall, one of Gillingham's summer signings says he
16:51has eyes for promotion with his new club.
16:54Former Crewe Alexandra striker Elliot Nevitt says missing out on promotion at the League
16:58Two play-off final at Wembley was heartbreaking and that he hopes this year to be able to
17:03help Gillingham progress to League One automatically.
17:08That's what I want.
17:09I want promotion.
17:10I want to be fighting for stuff.
17:11I want to be scoring.
17:13I want us to be doing well as a team and that's why you play football, to win.
17:18The fans, the club means everything to them and they'll see when I'm on that pitch it
17:24means everything to me.
17:25So I think they'll take to me, yeah.
17:27And what's the last two weeks been like?
17:30And after only having become an Olympic sport in 2008, BMX racing is considered one of the
17:35most dangerous of the events that will feature at this year's Games in Paris.
17:39But one youngster from Tunbridge Wells who learnt his craft that has specially made track
17:42in Gravesend says he'll stop at nothing to one day be part of the squad representing
17:47Great Britain.
17:48I had the pleasure of going to meet him.
17:50I'm passionate about the sport.
17:52I want to be there.
17:53That's really all I train for, race for and it's everything.
17:57That's what I want to do.
18:02Danny Jake has just finished his GCSEs but unlike his classmates he won't be spending
18:08the summer swanning off in the sun.
18:10In fact it's straight back to work and straight back on his bike as he follows his dream to
18:15one day be part of the Team GB BMX racing squad.
18:19First picking up the sport at the age of eight thanks to the encouragement of a family friend,
18:23Danny quickly fell in love with the speed, adrenaline and fearlessness required to take
18:28on tracks like these and hasn't looked back since.
18:31Yeah I just like going fast.
18:33I like the adrenaline.
18:34Going around, jumping all the big jumps.
18:36Yeah it's good.
18:37There's a lot of hard work put into it.
18:40Going from gym to doing sprints, it's a dedicated sport you have to be into so yeah.
18:46Just before I go I'm thinking tunnel vision straight, wanting to get to the corner first
18:52and get there as quick as I can.
18:57Danny Jake has already won major national competitions with the most recent being in
19:01Cumbernauld in Scotland where he took the top spot in the junior men's race.
19:07BMX racing isn't just about shooting it down the track as fast as you can.
19:15There's a huge amount of control that comes into it, especially on these jumps.
19:19Eight riders launch themselves from the top of an eight metre hill to try and stay in
19:23close formation as they navigate a variety of dirt jumps and banks turns to come out
19:28in front.
19:29The sport first appeared at the Olympics in Beijing 2008 and has remained one of the most
19:34popular fixtures.
19:35It's since gone on to become notorious for its crashes and at Tokyo 2020 was considered
19:40the most dangerous sport with athletes picking up more injuries than any other event.
19:47But even the prospect of a crash doesn't slow down Danny Jake's determination.
19:51Yeah you can break bones such as I have, I break a lot.
19:55Does that worry you at all?
19:56I mean how much does that come into your preparation?
19:58I don't really think about it after so yeah.
20:02Danny Jake's main track is at Peckham BMX club but he takes himself a weekly practice
20:06here at CycloPark in Gravesend where the track itself is named after one of Team GB's greatest
20:12BMX successes, gold medallist Beth Schriever.
20:16During the Olympic season the excitement here only grows.
20:19There's definitely an increased participation, especially when the Olympics is actually on.
20:22I think people start to see the sports on the telly and think I'll have a go at that
20:26and Beth Schriever had quite a long time riding here so that started off with a few of the
20:30local clubs and to see her go on to do amazing things has actually been a crazy experience
20:35as for the venue and like I say, seeing Danny Jake and some of the likes of the other riders
20:38that have been coming through, we know that we can kind of allow those people to have
20:43that pathway.
20:44So as he follows in the tyre tracks of the legends before him, perhaps one day we'll
20:48all be cheering on Danny Jake's name as he gears up for a future of success.
20:53Bartholomew Hall for KNTV in Gravesend.
20:58And of course we do wish Danny Jake all the best luck for his future.
21:04Now let's take a look back at the weather.
21:06A reminder that Yellow Heat Health Alert is in place from 5pm today until 11pm on Saturday.
21:18Tonight we'll have clear skies, highs of 18 degrees in Dover, lows of 16 in Tunbridge Wells.
21:24As we head into tomorrow morning, expect to feel that heat and see some sunshine, highs
21:28of 25 in Dartford.
21:31Friday afternoon is only getting warmer, highs of 28 in the north of the county.
21:36And here's your outlook for the rest of the week.
21:38Fairly mixed, cloudy skies, some drizzle with some sunshine peeking through.
21:43And again, don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across the
21:56county by heading over to our website, kntv.co.uk, where you'll find videos like this one about
22:02a festival at Leeds Castle.
22:05Thousands of people gathered this weekend at Leeds Castle, King Edward I's favourite
22:09home, for an evening of food, music and dancing.
22:13The night marked the 50th anniversary of the Leeds Castle Foundation, and donations
22:17towards the upkeep of the castle were given on the night.
22:20Yeah, absolutely.
22:21So this year is the 50th anniversary of the Leeds Castle Foundation, so it's really a
22:25special anniversary for us to be celebrating and to try and raise some funds for our charity.
22:31So it's the Leeds Castle Foundation, so we're a charitable organisation, so we do rely on
22:38fundraising and proportions of the ticket sales revenue to preserve the castle for future
22:43generations.
22:44The castle has seen performances from Cliff Richard, and is a famous filming location
22:48for shows like Antiques Roadshow, Who Do You Think You Are? and Doctor Who.
22:52The 900-year-old fortress has been putting on concerts for 40 years, but on the night
22:57performances from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as ABBA Tribute Act Capital Voices,
23:02along with other solo artists like Lara Martens, entertained entire fields of Union Jack
23:07Club listeners.
23:08Honestly, just in soundcheck just then, I completely, I mean, forget my lyrics anyway,
23:12but that's beside the point, I was just observing the whole orchestra, they sounded so unbelievable,
23:17and I was just taken away by it, you got swept up in the amazing ambience that they were
23:22creating here.
23:23It's going to be, you know, it's not every day you get to work with 40 amazing musicians
23:26in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, it's very cool.
23:30At the beginning of the concert at 4pm, the cannons are fired, and the floodgates open
23:34to the paying public, who march around the castle towards the hill like an army, equipped
23:39with folding chairs, picnic blankets and umbrellas.
23:41Reading, Glastonbury and now Kent, the fields of Leeds Castle haven't seen this many people
23:47since its medieval fortress days, but I think the people are going to be screaming today
23:52for a much different, better reason.
23:54The grounds themselves have been prepared to accommodate many, with furnished tents
23:58for certain groups, as well as food and drink stalls, with the large single stage illuminated
24:02by bright lights, so even the crowd on the distant hill can still see it.
24:07Unfortunately, while the pre-show concert began, the heavens opened, and while most
24:11came prepared, some simply enjoyed the music despite the weather.
24:15Others came with full tables of champagne, biscuits and other classic British treats,
24:20while some visitors came dressed to impress while they listened.
24:22I mean, it's amazing, you've been here from, you know, one o'clock in the afternoon,
24:27and obviously it was very quiet, and then suddenly all these people were just waiting
24:32outside to come in, and it's incredible to see all these people coming in and filling
24:37the grounds, and they're pretty big grounds.
24:40Lara has a wide range of vocal disciplines, being able to reach operatic high notes and
24:44the fast pace of musical numbers, and said she was extremely excited to perform for everyone.
24:50Even though the weather was poor, spirits were still high throughout the night, and
24:53for everyone involved, it showed that Kent can do a concert just as well as any other
24:57county.
24:58Finn MacDermid for KMTV.
25:00Well, it certainly looked like a lot of fun there, and if you're looking for some more
25:04culture tonight, straight after Kent Tonight, we have a brand new episode of Kent Film Club,
25:08where we look at the impact certain films have had on our guests' lives.
25:12Tonight, a very special one for us, former KMTV director and head of the Centre for Journalism
25:16at the University of Kent, Ian Reeves, joined Chris Deasey on the sofa, let's take a look
25:21at a preview.
25:26Welcome Ian, great to have you on the programme.
25:28Good to be here, Chris.
25:29Now, I don't know your choices in advance, but I can see you've gone for, well actually
25:33as a journalist, I can see why you've gone for The Insider.
25:36Yes, I did want there to be a journalism movie on my list, and for me this is the top of
25:44that tree.
25:47It's a fascinating study, it's a real story, a fascinating study into that key relationship
25:54between a journalist and their source, in this case a whistleblower.
26:00But it's also about the power that journalism has to make change and to make big difference
26:08in society, and it's also about the challenge that journalism faces in getting stories like
26:16this, which is about big tobacco, onto the air.
26:20And so yeah, this is my top choice.
26:28And there's plenty more discussion just like that to come after the break.
26:32You've been watching Kent Tonight live on KMTV, as well as Kent Film Club.
26:36There's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening.
26:38I'll be back at 8 o'clock with The Late Bulletin, see you then, bye bye.