Author: Benjamin

Seven men – including people from Greenwich, Bromley, Hillingdon and Ealing – have now been sentenced in total for their roles in the drug operation. The group hid the drugs within the arm of an industrial digger and organised an online auction to make the excavator’s transportation to Australia look legitimate. It’s reported that MDMA would have sold for far more than the UK street price. The digger was first stored in an industrial unit in Grays, Essex. Two men, Tony Borg and Philip Lawson, arranged for a welder to cut the vehicle’s arm to seal the Class A drugs.…

This is the moment flames engulfed a van by a busy road junction during morning rush hour.Pictures show the parked vehicle well ablaze in Benenden Road, Wainscott.A van on fire this morning in Frindsbury Hill, WainscottOne fire engine was sent to Frindsbury Hill, close to the The Sans Pareil roundabout, just before 7.30am.The road was shut while firefighters were at the scene and thick black plumes of smoke could be seen billowing from the charred van.Crews used a hose reel jet to put the blaze out and the incident was declared over at 8.16amOne fire engine was called to the…

A 13-year-old boy who stabbed a teenage girl in the street in an apparently motiveless attack has been spared custody.The youngster, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, left his 15-year-old victim needing emergency bowel surgery from the wound inflicted with a kitchen knife on March 22 this year.The air ambulance was called to Adelaide Drive in SittingbourneMaidstone Crown Court heard that the boy, then aged 12, had crouched behind a car in Adelaide Drive, Sittingbourne, before pouncing on his victim shortly before 4pm.The girl, said to have been stabbed “hard” in the abdomen by her assailant, had to be…

A mixture of “technical issues” and “communication failures” prevented a town’s Christmas lights switch-on over the weekend, says a council.The decorations were set to be illuminated during Broadstairs and St Peter’s annual Christmas Fair on Saturday, November 30, but it was not to be.Hundreds of residents attended the Christmas Fair in Broadstairs over the weekend. Picture: Broadstairs & St Peter’s Town CouncilDespite a year of preparation by staff the highly anticipated event was left in the dark, the town’s mayor explained.Cllr Mike Garner said: “Unfortunately, the decorative lighting switch-on in Broadstairs and St Peter’s did not go as planned.“Despite a…

Essential maintenance and tunnel works will see closures of the West Tunnel, East Tunnel, and QEII Bridge from Monday, December 2, to Monday, December 9. Diversions will be in place via National Highways and local roads. The Dartford Crossing, previously known as the Dartford Tunnel until 1991, is a major road crossing over the River Thames in England. It connects Dartford in Kent (south) to Thurrock in Essex (north) via the A282 road. This information is accurate at the time of publication, but may be subject to change, particularly in adverse weather conditions. Monday, December 2 – Tuesday, December 3…

A drunk Tesco worker attacked three of his friends after he was asked to leave their home following a lewd comment to a female pal.Alex Vance, who admits he gets violent after binge drinking sessions, had been out in Rochester when he bumped into some old friends.Alex Vance attacked the trio after a night out drinking in RochesterThe 30-year-old was invited back to their home, also in the town, for more drinks after their night out came to an end.But after downing more alcohol he then made an inappropriate sexual comment to one of the women in his company.When he…

A private school is set to take in students with special education needs (SEN in the new year.A new autism centre is opening in Cobham Hall Independent School in Gravesend.Cobham Hall Independent School in GravesendCalled Bligh House, it will feature sensory rooms, quiet areas as well as swimming pool and sports hall facilities.Specialist staff will teach pupils aged 11 to 16 with a primary diagnosis in smaller class sizes.They will begin to be enrolled from January 2025 with a phased intake starting at 10 to eventually a capacity of 60.Parents can now start registering their interest here.A new SEND centre…

Motorists are facing delays after a crash on a main route.The Medway Tunnel was at a “standstill” heading into Gillingham following the accident, which happened just before the entrance to Asda in Pier Road.Motorists are facing delays near the Medway Tunnel after a crashAvoid getting stuck on Kent’s roads by keeping up-to-date on all of the latest traffic and travel news here or by following our live blog.Drivers were reportedly unable to get out of the St Mary’s Island area and there were knock-on delays around Dockside Outlet Centre.One motorist said they’d popped out for a quick shop at Asda…

The government has approved a controversial housing development in a beauty spot previously refused by the Tories, sparking fears of the area being “lost forever under concrete.”Last year, plans for the estate near Cranbrook were overturned by the then Conservation government for being “generic and suburban.”A new image of how the estate in the High Weald is set to lookNow, the new Labour administration has given it the green light.Berkeley Homes’ plans for 165 homes at Turnden, near Cranbrook, were originally approved by Tunbridge Wells council in 2021 but were called in by then Secretary of State Robert Jenrick only…

A historic sex offender, a meth empire kingpin and a taekwondo coach were also locked up. Here are the names and faces of those who were sentenced to prison time in November 2024. Four murderers Top: Kalam Bagger and Rhys Antwi. Bottom: Leo Reid and Tyrese Barnett. (Image: Met Police) Three men from south London and one from east London were jailed for the murder of a 17-year-old boy. Tyler McDermott died on April 14 last year, the day after he was shot in the head then stabbed with a machete while he was on the floor outside the studio in Norman Road,…