Kent Tonight - Monday 9th September 2024
Catch up with all the latest news across your county with Abby Hook.
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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:29I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories on Monday the 9th of September.
00:33It's our son's independence. Medway Council denies equipment funding for special needs
00:39child.
00:40Use it all the time. School say how much it makes a difference to his day.
00:44A whole lot more pain. The Swanscombe sinkhole driving business towards a dead end.
00:51What do I do? What can I do? There's nothing I can do. You know, I've just got to try and
00:55keep going. But the more it goes on, the worse it gets.
00:59Peering into the future. After five years closed, Rochester's pier has finally resurfaced.
01:05It's somewhere that people are really affectionate about and I'm glad that today we've finally
01:11been able to give it back to the people.
01:23First tonight, the parents of a boy with special needs say Medway Council is denying them a
01:28essential equipment. Their son has a rare condition, meaning he needs mobility aid
01:33and having a walker gives him more independence rather than using a wheelchair.
01:38The one he uses now is getting too small, but the authority won't pay for a new one.
01:44Our local democracy reporter Gabriel Morris has more.
01:48It's a rare developmental disease affecting one in 50,000 boys. Thomas, who lives in Raynham,
01:54has plasmas bacus disease, meaning he's non-verbal and has limited mobility. But when he uses
01:59this walker, it gives him his independence. He loves taking it to the local rec and it
02:05also allows him to play with other children at school. But there's an issue. It's getting
02:09too small.
02:10Now his arms are longer, he gets his arms stuck in the spokes of the wheels. His head
02:15rests now, he isn't in the right position, so he'll fall from side to side. So now when
02:20he's walking you have to hold his head in place because he's not getting the full support
02:24from the walker.
02:26Although Medway Council paid for his last one, they're refusing to fund any new equipment.
02:31The authority has an issue with where it would be kept. The school bus that takes Thomas
02:36to his specialist school can't accommodate for Walker. His parents suggested dropping
02:41it off at school at the start and end of the week. The family says they were told they
02:45wouldn't be trusted to do that.
02:47In not so many ways that they didn't believe, that's what we would do. So then they wouldn't
02:51fund it again. So no matter what options we was coming up with, we was told no.
02:56It's frustrating. I understand money is king, but when it's the joy and he's restricted
03:04to a chair, if he doesn't have a walker that fully supports him, he can't walk. And he
03:08absolutely loves it. School use it all the time. School say how much it makes a difference
03:12to his day. And without that, it's not nice.
03:17At £4,000, the family can't afford a new one. They've now turned to fundraising instead.
03:23And yeah, within 24 hours we had well over what we had hoped for because we were only
03:28looking for half and we'd fund the other half ourselves. So we don't have to do that now.
03:32So people of Raynham, friends and family have made sure he can have his new walker.
03:37In a statement, the council says they'll continue to work with the family, prescriber and school
03:42to ensure the child's needs are met, including when changes occur, where they are able to.
03:48His parents say they don't understand why the authority has been so difficult about
03:53it. They've now been invited to a meeting with the council to discuss the issue. Gabriel
03:57Morris in Raynham.
04:03Next tonight, a man who set fire to a house in Faversham in an attempt to murder two people
04:08has been sentenced to life in prison. Duncan Hornby, who's 60 years old, poured petrol
04:13through the terraced house and set it on fire. The incident that destroyed the house as well
04:17as some of its neighbouring homes happened on the 6th of July last year. During the trial
04:22at Maidstone Crown Court, Hornby denied two offences of attempted murder but was convicted
04:27by a jury. In a hearing on Friday, he was sentenced to life in prison.
04:35Now, owners of a Swanscombe motorcycle shop say road closures because of sinkholes could
04:41be the final straw that busts their business. It's not the first traffic disruption the
04:46town has faced, with a major road still shut after a landslip last year. Now, the local
04:51MP has invited the new government roads minister down to the site in the hopes of a long-term
04:57solution. Oliver Leader de Sacks has more.
05:01I've been at work and a familiar sinking feeling for residents here in Swanscombe.
05:06Over the weekend, part of the high street collapsed just a few days after Kent County
05:12Council repaired sinkholes in a similar area. You can see the scale of the road collapse
05:19just over my shoulder. It's several metres wide, several metres deep, and about six or
05:24seven people working to clear debris before repairs can take place. We don't exactly know
05:31when that's going to happen. For some, that isn't good enough. Not far from the sinkhole,
05:37Michael Cheal is on the lookout for customers. His business has lost more than £50,000 in
05:44the last year following the Galley Hill landslip, and the recent road closure means there's
05:51almost no traffic whatsoever. I'm not a defeatist. I won't give up, but sometimes you've just
05:59got to think to yourself, what do I do? What can I do? There's nothing I can do. I've just
06:05got to try and keep going. But the more it goes on, the worse it gets. With no passing
06:11traffic, I've got no work, no clients, nothing. With the recent wave of disruption and Galley
06:18Hill still closed, Darthers MP has waded in, inviting the roads minister to come down to
06:25the site and calling for a long-term solution. I think there's a big problem with roads in
06:31that area in that they are all built on chalk surfacing, chalk cliffs effectively, overlooking
06:38the estuary, and that makes them inherently unstable. I think on top of that, you've got
06:44a decade of underinvestment in roads under the last government and by Kent County Council
06:48who haven't got any money, and this is creating a very unstable situation for Swanscombe.
06:54I've actually invited the roads minister to come down and she is going to visit us
06:58shortly in Swanscombe to look at Galley Hill Road, and while she is down, I will be talking
07:03to her about the wider problem. Kent County Council has apologised for the disruption
07:10and say the safety of residents is paramount as they try and figure out exactly what happened.
07:16Well, I think at the moment with what's happened over the weekend, we need to investigate exactly
07:19why it's happened and what, and then look at the bigger thing. We are in discussion
07:24with the Department of Transport about various Galley Hill issues. We will continue to do
07:27so, but on the immediate issue that's raised over the weekend, we just need to find out
07:31why that's happened.
07:33With the ministerial visit being discussed for later this week, the community will be
07:37hoping there won't be many more roadblocks in the pathway back to normality. Oliver Leader
07:44of the SACs for KMTV in Swanscombe.
07:49Now a Kent domestic abuse charity says they need more time to prepare as 1,700 prisoners
07:54will be released early tomorrow. It's part of the government's scheme to tackle overcrowding
07:59in prisons. Victims of violence say they fear those who've been convicted of crimes like
08:04common assault of a partner will not be flagged as domestic abusers. But the policing minister
08:10has reassured the public that perpetrators will not be released. I spoke to Dartford
08:15councillor Carol Gale, who supports women facing violence.
08:1998% of perpetrators of domestic violence re-offend, with the most violent re-offenders at about
08:3038%. My real concern is that the government's SD40 sentencing scheme is not going to allow
08:44the probation officers, the statutory agencies, the police, and the charities that work with
08:54victims of domestic abuse and violence to actually get the victims in a safe place,
09:01either physically or mentally, if the perpetrator is going to be released early from prison.
09:07Well, the government, sorry, sorry to interject there Carol, the government's actually said
09:11that serious violent criminals, terrorists, those domestic abuse perpetrators that you
09:16were discussing there will not actually be released. They're wading through all the prisoners
09:21and trying to get those lower level criminals released instead of those serious re-offenders,
09:28those serious offenders, sorry. But I suppose it's more about those who have committed other
09:33crimes but have a history of domestic violence. That's the concern.
09:37No, not really. I'll just give you a bit of clarification on that. What the government
09:42has said is that sentences for domestic abuse and vicious assaults, GBH, but sexual assaults,
09:50under four years. So if it's under four years, they are still going to be eligible for the SD40
09:57scheme. There are whole setups here for the MARAC agency, the multi-agency risk assessment
10:04forums. And first of all, you need to engage with the victims and their families. And then they go
10:09into one of these conferences or their case will go to a conference where every agency, the police,
10:15social services, all the statutory agencies, all the domestic abuse agencies will work out a safety
10:23plan for these families. And two months is not enough time to do this. They already have very
10:32full case histories to work on at the moment that you just can't chuck more at the statutory
10:39agencies. They've got a very, very important job to do. And the reason why the government are doing
10:44this, sorry to interject, I just want to get across that this is because of a huge issue with
10:49overcrowding in our prisons, right up and down the country. So what else can the government do
10:54if not releasing some of those lower level criminals? I understand that there's overcrowding
11:01in the prisons and I've worked in the criminal justice system for 11 years myself, but two months,
11:06as I said, is not enough time to allow the statutory agencies to do their job properly.
11:13High risk means risk of homicide. That's what we're dealing with. When people are risk assessed,
11:19and I've risk assessed families, males before, and I said to them, do you know what high risk
11:24means? And they don't. High risk means you're at risk of homicide. That's where we are with
11:29victims of domestic abuse and violence. Now it's time for us to take a very quick break,
11:36but coming up, households in Margate have been provided with emergency accommodation after their
11:41homes have been left flooded. Four families in emergency accommodation there. We'll have more
11:46after this short break, as well as all the latest sports news from right across Kent. See in a few
11:51minutes.
12:22Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight, live on KMTV. Now, a car salesman caught speeding more than
12:27100 miles per hour on the M2 was over the drug limit and with a child at the time. Joshua Morris
12:34tailgated, veered onto the hard shoulder and undertook other motorists between Stockbury and
12:38Faversham in his Mercedes. An unmarked police car recorded his average speed at 97 miles per hour
12:44while in the car with a woman and child. Morris pled guilty to dangerous driving and driving while
12:50over the drug limit as he tested positive for cannabis. He lost his job and his driving
12:54licence. He was issued a series of penalties, including a four month tagged curfew and a £500
13:00fine. Now, four households in Margate are being provided with emergency accommodation as their
13:06homes have been flooded. Firefighters were called to Cliftonville to reports of a power outage due
13:12to water leaking through the roof of a building. Not only that, it forced families to leave behind
13:17their homes and their possessions. Mahima Abedin has been finding out more. We might see a leak in
13:23the house and think it's a problem to solve for later, but this one in Margate has left families
13:28devastated as they've been forced to leave their homes behind. Emergency accommodation is being
13:34provided to four households after water poured through the roof of their flat in Cliftonville
13:39and led to a power outage. But despite being given alternative accommodation, one resident
13:44who lives on the same road as the building affected says families have been left struggling.
13:49They've had to abandon their home and all their possessions in the condemned building
13:57and travel elsewhere in Kent, not even in Thanet, to have a roof over their heads.
14:06And now that school's started up again, that's going to be very difficult for them.
14:13Firefighters were called to Athelstan Road around 12.40 on the 24th of August to the sound
14:18of smoke alarms, where its crews discovered it was actually a water leak affecting the building's
14:23electrics. But it's not just this building which has had problems in recent times. In a statement
14:29from Thanet District Council, a spokesperson said, prior to the flats being condemned,
14:33the private sector housing team investigated complaints about the condition of two flats.
14:38As a result, they say enforcement actions had been taken because evidence of rainwater
14:42entering indicated that the main roof needed to be repaired or replaced.
14:47They understood the building's new owner had instructed contractors to replace the roof,
14:51but appropriate weather protection was not put in place. But for now, the council has been in
14:57contact with the new owner to ensure everything is fixed properly and will allow residents back
15:02once the repairs have been made. Mahima Abedin for KMTV in Margate.
15:08Now to sports, and Gillingham owner Brad Gallinson has called a meeting of the club's
15:17shareholders with a view to remove former owner Paul Scalley as a club director. A letter seen
15:22by KMTV states that the meeting will take place at Priestfield Stadium on the 10th of October.
15:27Well, our sports reporter Bartholomew Hall joins me in the studio now with more.
15:32A man, a name known intrinsically linked to the club. What can you tell us?
15:38The Paul Scalley story takes us all the way back to 1995 when he first took over at the club,
15:44eventually leading them on a pathway to what was their highest ever playing days in the
15:49championships, in the championship rather. Paul Scalley's influence at the club,
15:53you could say, is monumental. As I say, he led them to the championship as owner. However,
15:58in recent years, you could say that there's been a certain fracturous relationship between himself
16:03and a certain group of fans, many calling for him to sell up in the past few years,
16:08especially after the club fell to League Two in 2021. And that's exactly what happened. Early 2022,
16:15Brad Gallinson and his wife, Shannon, took over as chairman and chairwoman. But Paul Scalley
16:20remained on the board as director. Now, there were a few eyebrows raised at the time, fans asking how
16:26much influence would he still be having at the club. But in no uncertain, no uncertain terms,
16:31this letter, which has been released to shareholders, suggests that there is now a
16:37movement within the club to remove him entirely. And there's been an update today from the club.
16:43They've released a statement saying the board of Gillingham Football Club have called a shareholders
16:46meeting to consider removing Mr Scalley as a director. It says our investigations are ongoing,
16:52and so we are unable to comment further at this time. Now, it would be unwise for us to speculate
16:57on what those investigations are, but no doubt this will be closely watched by fans.
17:01And if he is removed, what sort of difference are we looking at for the Gills?
17:05Well, for some fans, I suspect this is going to be quite a monumental moment in terms of
17:11ending that previous era of his ownership and moving solely into this Brad Gallinson era.
17:17When he took over, Brad Gallinson, that is, there was this sense of optimism and positivity
17:22about the club maybe one day returning to its glory days, perhaps being back in the
17:26championship again. And now that he's no longer there, well, there's going to be a lot more focus
17:31on Mr Gallinson, of course, and his role in the decision he makes. But I suppose it is that
17:36cutting of ties and looking to the future that many fans will perhaps appreciate.
17:41But in other news today and in other football news where people have been removed from their
17:45positions, this afternoon we heard the breaking news that Ebbs Fleet manager Danny Searle has
17:50been sacked after picking up just one point in their first seven games in the National League
17:55season so far. Searle took over following the departure of former boss Denis Kutryb at the end
18:00of January before going on to help the fleet retain their status in the top step of non-league football
18:05with a final day draw at Boreham Wood. However, it's been a winless start to the season so far
18:09for the North Kent club, leaving the board with no decision but to part ways, they confirmed today.
18:16Thousands of pounds have been raised for the funeral of former Sheppey United and Chatham
18:20Town midfielder Dylan Ackew. The 21-year-old's family announced last week Dylan had died during
18:26the night. It's not yet clear what the exact cause was. Sheppey United manager Ernie Batten
18:32spoke on behalf of his club, describing him as a big hit on and off the pitch before going on to
18:37say he couldn't believe it. Some fans have described Dylan as worth the admission price
18:42alone. A GoFundMe page has been set up in his name and it's already doubled its initial £1,000 target.
18:49Moving on, Maidstone boxer Sam Noakes is said to be eyeing up a world title
18:57after defending his European lightweight belt against Gianluca Saliga. In front of a packed
19:03out York Hall, Noakes won by TKO after his Italian opponent retired in his stall at the end of the
19:10eighth round. It means the 27-year-old extends his perfect record to 15-0, moving him a step
19:15closer to a world title shot, according to his manager Francis Warren, who says it's a natural
19:20route to take as and when it presents itself. The boxing mogul went on to say, however,
19:25that Noakes is in no rush and is urging people to enjoy the Sam Noakes ride.
19:32After yesterday's closing ceremony, the Paralympics has finally come to an end,
19:36drawing a curtain on the summer of Parisian sport. And 124 medals later, many of Kent's
19:41representatives in Paralympics GB have a lot to celebrate. Let's take a look at a few of them,
19:46starting with Kent cyclist Matthew Robertson, who took home bronze in the men's C2 3,000-metre
19:51individuals. Ashford's Callie-Anne Warrington taking a silver medal, here she is, after a
19:55close battle in the 100-metre butterfly. Former world champion table tennis star Will Bailey took
20:02silver in the men's Class 7 Final Two. And of course, 13-year-old Iona Winifred taking that
20:08silver in the swimming, of course. We'll be hearing more from her and her club in
20:13Tunbridge in Evicta Sport after the break. Very exciting stuff, very impressive from
20:17the 13-year-old Bartholomew, thank you very much for the sport. Now it's time to take a
20:21very quick look at the weather. Tonight, clear skies and cool temperatures across the county,
20:31lows of 11 and highs of 13 down in Dover. Tomorrow morning, cloudy skies with temperatures rising to
20:3817 in Dartford and Chatham. Not much rain, a bit of wind though into the afternoon as well,
20:43and wet weather down in Folkestone, a mix of sunshine too, highs of 18. And here's your
20:48outlook for Kent. Wednesday, cloudy and sunshine, same Thursday, Friday a bit more sunshine.
21:02And finally this evening, the Rochester Pier has finally reopened. Five years after it closed
21:08two years after it collapsed. It was initially deemed unsafe in 2019 and later sunk into the
21:13Esplanade. Kristen Hawthorne's been finding out what it has in store for the future.
21:18The historic Rochester Pier was closed down. Today, five years later, it's been reopened
21:23and I'm here today to find out more. After its initial closure in 2019,
21:28the council deemed the brow of the pier unsafe after an inspection. Over two years ago,
21:33it then collapsed into the River Medway, lying submerged in the water and plans were then
21:38discussed to remove it and restore the area to its former glory, which has began to take shape.
21:44So what we were able to do was do the major work to remove the damaged floating sections,
21:50but it still meant that we weren't in a position to open up the upper section of the pier. What
21:56we've been able to do more recently is get that ship shape and in partnership with the friends of
22:03Rochester Churchfields and Esplanade, carry out bits of maintenance, a lick of paint here and
22:08there and ongoing support from them that mean that we can now open the gates and give people
22:15in Rochester and the rest of Medway access back to this fantastic asset.
22:20Volunteers from Charity, friends of Rochester Churchfields and Esplanade,
22:24have dedicated their time to fixing the area and have carried out work to showcase it better.
22:30We are currently undertaking some restoration work, so we're painting,
22:35we've given it a really good clean. We also have a plan to improve the arrangements for seating,
22:42so we have some benches planned. We've painted some of the existing planters and we plan to put
22:49some plants in and some window boxes perhaps along, maybe a bar, maybe even live music.
22:55With help from this charity and the council, plans are now underway to bring more tourism
23:00and attraction to this part of Rochester and are keen to maintain the historical area.
23:06It's great that it's been repaired, it's going to be a great place for people to come and visit
23:10and sit down by the river. No, I mean they've cleared up all of that, there was so much junk
23:15there with the broken pier, so that's really nice, it's nice to see it's all done.
23:19They've done a really really fantastic job and it's a lot better than walking past every day
23:24and seeing it kind of sliding into the Medway, so to speak.
23:32Another new potential social hub for us here in Medway, down by the Esplanade. Well,
23:37you've been watching Kent Tonight live on KMTV, that's all we've got time for this evening. There
23:41is of course more news made just for Kent throughout the evening, including all the sports
23:45news from Bartholomew Hall with Invicta Sport straight after this very short break. I'll see
23:50you soon, but for now, Invicta Sport with Bartholomew. Bye bye.