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00:30Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV. I'm Finn McDermid and here are your top stories on
00:35Monday, the 30th of March.
00:38Shattered the lives of so many people. Drunk driver who blamed his girlfriend for a double fatal collision has been
00:44sentenced to 17 years in prison.
00:47I'm at Maidstone Crown Court where a couple from Rochester have just been sentenced to a combined 18 months for
00:53a situation which caused the deaths of two people.
00:56Cheaper stays, busier days. Parking cut aims to boost Canterbury footfall after meningitis outbreak.
01:02For me personally as someone who lives in Dover who drives up to use as a parking ride in and
01:06out of town every time I do this, that's fantastic news for me.
01:09And Sleep Out Under the Stars, Royal British Veterans Enterprise takes on the annual Great Tommy Sleep Out Challenge.
01:16To me it means so much. It's what we stand for. It's about supporting people who have served. It's about
01:25the work that we do on our village to support veterans.
01:38But first tonight, a man who blamed his girlfriend for a collision in Rochester that claimed the lives of two
01:44people has been sentenced to more than 17 years behind bars.
01:48Isadora Olim, who's 35, received that sentence today at Maidstone Crown Court, three and a half years after causing the
01:55death of friends Andrew Cass and Neil Harris in 2022.
01:59He was sentenced alongside his girlfriend, Isabel Nunez, for two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, two counts of
02:05causing serious injury by dangerous driving and a count of perverting the course of justice.
02:10Nunez received a shorter sentence on the single count of perverting the course of justice.
02:15Chloe Brewster watched the sentencing earlier today and has prepared us this report.
02:19I'm at Maidstone Crown Court, where a couple from Rochester have just been sentenced to a combined 18 months for
02:25a situation which caused the deaths of two people.
02:29Here's what happened. So in October 2022, a group of friends have been heading back from a night out in
02:34Gravesend.
02:34They've been listening to music and having a good time.
02:37But on the way back, one of the members of the group realised they'd lost their phone and ended up
02:41on City Way in Rochester to look for it.
02:44After having not found the phone, they decided to continue on with their journey, heading towards Rochester City Centre.
02:50It's in that moment that tragedy struck.
02:53The friend's Skoda was hit by a BMW hurtling along the road in the opposite direction.
02:57They've been travelling at more than double the speed limit.
03:00The collision killed the back passengers, Andrew Cass and Neil Harris, with husband and wife Laurence Smith and Sue Smith
03:07left injured in the front.
03:09Later, witnesses remarking Isidoro Olym, 35, from Rochester, wandering around the scene.
03:14He was on his phone, but not to emergency services, to his girlfriend, Isabel Noons, who had been at home
03:21the entire time.
03:22It was then Noons and Olym began to hatch a plan, with both deciding to blame Noon for the collision.
03:28The court heard that Olym had been heading back from a night of drinking in Gillingham, and by passing BAME,
03:33avoided a roadside breathalyser test.
03:36Noon stuck to his story, telling police that she didn't have time to break.
03:40But in January of the following year, both came clean, and earlier this month, both pled guilty in court.
03:48Today, in front of a packed courtroom, Judge Oliver Saxby delivered a lengthy prison sentence to Olym.
03:53He said the couple had acted in brazen deceit, and said a catastrophic situation had been caused by Olym's dangerous
04:01driving.
04:02He said,
04:02And what you did, Mr Olym, has shattered the lives of so many people.
04:06Andrew Cass is genuine, kind, patient, someone with no agenda.
04:10And Neil Harris is described as the fourth leg of his family's table, unassuming, someone interested in finding the positive
04:17in people.
04:18Both are so loved and cherished and desperately missed.
04:21The lives of the Casses and the Harrises will never be the same.
04:25By what you did, you have consigned them to sorrow and grief, which they'll fill at every moment of the
04:29day, and which that will last a lifetime.
04:31Olym was sentenced to 17 years and two months in prison, and that's for two counts of causing death by
04:37dangerous driving,
04:38two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and another count of perverting the course of justice.
04:44He cried as his sentence was read out.
04:47From Isabel Noons, 14 members of her family sat tearful in the public gallery, watching her be sent down.
04:53She was served for 20 months in custody for one count of perverting the course of justice.
05:00Now, a serial shoplifter has been imprisoned after being arrested for robbing a petrol station with a fake gun in
05:06Sittingbourne.
05:08CCTV footage, which you can see now, showed Michael Pollock storming into a BP petrol garage with a fake weapon
05:13and threatening to shoot the staff.
05:15He was recognised after he'd called up the shop on the same day before attempting to raid it last October.
05:21In court, his defence claimed he had robbed the store to pay for medication for his ill father and that
05:26he was sorry for his behaviour.
05:28He was sentenced earlier this week at Maidstone Crown Court, where he'll serve more than six years in prison.
05:34More than 60 people have signed a petition for increased road safety measures outside a primary school in Iowa near
05:39Sittingbourne after concerns were raised surrounding children's safety.
05:43Parents say that the recent housing development in the area has led to the need for a road crossing or
05:48lollipop person.
05:49It comes after several near misses where children have tried to cross the road and an increase in local traffic
05:55over the last decade.
05:56There had been a lollipop person working outside the school gate, but they had resigned in 2019 and are yet
06:01to be replaced.
06:02A spokesperson for the council said they are aware of the concerns but have been unable to recruit a crossing
06:07officer and a reassessment is needed to determine if funding is still available.
06:12Reforms leader Nigel Farage has admitted many of the councils the party won last year were left unsupported, saying he
06:18was more focused on winning rather than what came afterwards.
06:20He added, perhaps I was too focused, perhaps obsessively, on May the 1st without much afterthought on what would come
06:27on May the 2nd.
06:28Our local democracy reporter Oli Lieder spoke to him recently.
06:31Obviously earlier on when you were speaking to candidates, you mentioned that there's going to be a unit out to
06:37help them, that don't over-promise is something that you've mentioned numerous times on the campaign trail.
06:44And obviously we have seen a bit of turbulence in some of the other councils, obviously we've seen defections over
06:49at Kent County Council just up the road.
06:51Do you think that's an admission that things perhaps weren't as smooth after last year's elections as you would have
06:57liked?
06:59I think I was running very hard up until the line of May the 1st with quite limited resources in
07:06terms of money and in terms of personnel and perhaps I was fully focused, perhaps obsessively focused on May the
07:151st without much of an afterthought for what came on May the 2nd and afterwards.
07:20And maybe we won't. And to be frank, I didn't really expect that level of success. I was overwhelmed with
07:28the level of success. And we didn't have the infrastructure to support it.
07:33There were councils like Lancashire and Durham where our council leaders had run councils already and quite a lot of
07:42our elected candidates were old school, they'd been there before, but many other councils where they were in political terms
07:49quite virginal.
07:51And perhaps we didn't quite have the party structure at the centre to give them the level of support to
07:56begin with that they would have needed.
07:57And I'm going to make sure that on May the 8th, that is very different. And that is part of
08:03our maturity as an organisation. It's part of our professionalisation as an organisation.
08:09So look, you know, I can accept that when you build something from nothing into a huge organisation in terms
08:18of votes, that sometimes the structure doesn't quite keep up with the success that we've had.
08:23We will be much better impaired this year, I promise you.
08:31Now, parking costs in Canterbury are set to be temporarily lowered following a drop in foot traffic after the meningitis
08:38outbreak.
08:38This is all to help support local businesses and so the council has decided to reduce parking charges over the
08:44Easter holidays.
08:45During the school break, the park and ride service will cost just £1 for the entire day, down from the
08:50usual £4.
08:51Maisie Walker visited Canterbury to speak with local businesses and tourists about whether they welcome the change.
08:58As the Easter holidays approach, Canterbury is typically packed with tourists and residents.
09:03But this year, local businesses are still feeling the effects of a drop in foot traffic following the recent meningitis
09:09outbreak.
09:09In response, Canterbury City Council has announced reduced parking charges over the Easter period in an effort to encourage visitors
09:17back into the city and support struggling businesses.
09:20One of the venues at the centre of the outbreak, Club Chemistry, has now reopened its doors.
09:25So, for us really, it's more just about, we have lost two young members of our community and I feel
09:33like our job now is just, is making sure that going forwards, that means something.
09:40And that actually, that that memory is going to be used to protect a generation of people that otherwise are
09:46not going to be protected.
09:47I've been over everything. There is nothing we could have done.
09:51Like many businesses in the area, it experienced a loss of income during the outbreak and concerns about trade remains
09:57across the community.
09:58The streets are starting to pick up, but not as busy as they used to be. Local businesses are concerned
10:04with their footfall low since the outbreak, but are hopeful things will start to pick up again.
10:09There has been a dramatic decrease and it's quite shocking because normally January and February is quiet and then the
10:16build up starts at the beginning of March.
10:19And we've just seen probably a third of the footfall that we would have seen naturally.
10:26Despite these challenges, there are hopes that initiatives like reduced parking will help bring people back into Canterbury and give
10:32local businesses a much needed boost.
10:34I think it's great for tourism, people coming to visit because the car parks are very expensive.
10:41Yeah, I think obviously if you make something cheaper, more people are going to want to come, even if it's
10:45not necessarily somewhere they're wanting to go.
10:47Because if they say, oh, £1 parking, you're going to want to go because it feels like you're missing out
10:52otherwise.
10:53For me personally, as someone who lives in Dover who drives up and uses the park and ride in and
10:57out of town every time I do this,
10:59that's fantastic news for me because my cost of getting here has just been slashed in quarter.
11:04But for the locals, I'd like to hope so. I'd certainly like to hope so.
11:08The Easter holidays are always quite a nice busy time anyway.
11:12There's a lot of stuff to see and do in Canterbury, so you'd hope that perhaps lowering the barrier of
11:17entry just might entice more people to go,
11:18Oh, actually, it would normally cost me four quid to park up. It's only going to cost me a pound.
11:22With businesses reopening and new measures in place, Canterbury is hoping for a very busy Easter and a steady recovery
11:29after a difficult few weeks.
11:31Maisie Walker for KMTV, Canterbury.
11:42Well, that is all the time we have for in this part of the show.
11:46But coming up on the programme, we'll have the latest all on Easter.
11:50And are our eggs getting smaller?
11:52Well, we'll find out after this very short break. See you soon.
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15:18Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
15:22A plan for 64 homes in Kingsdown near Deal has been voted through the council despite
15:27hundreds of opponents.
15:30The scheme for 64 two-storey houses off Ringwald Road, Kingsdown near Deal led to 675 letters
15:37of objection.
15:38About 100 protesters poured into a council chamber and overspill room to hear a planning
15:42committee vote it through after a two-hour debate on Thursday night.
15:47Their concerns included traffic dangers, overdevelopment and emergency service access.
15:53Lucy Wilford from the application's agents DHA Planning said that in spite of the pushback,
15:59the proposed growth is proportionate to the size of the area.
16:03New photos have been released following positive progress of the restoration works of Folkestone's
16:08Lees Lift.
16:10It first opened in 1885 and is one of the very few left in operation across the country
16:15and has carried 36 million passengers in its lifetime.
16:18It closed in 2017 following braking issues and is being revamped but a hefty price tag of
16:24£6.6 million.
16:26A spokesperson for the lift said, despite unfavorable weather conditions, progress continues positively
16:32with milestones reached.
16:33The attraction is on track to reopen this summer.
16:37And with the recent spell of unusually warm weather, Kent has begun to see bluebells blooming
16:41across the county weeks ahead of their usual arrival in mid-April.
16:45One of Kent's most popular places to see the flower is Hull Park in Rolvenden and it opened
16:49for its 2026 season last Saturday.
16:54While the timing of Hull Park's annual Bluebell Spectacular display has varied each year,
16:59the garden's fourth-generation owner Edward Burham has said this year's bloom is the earliest
17:03on record with bluebells appearing the very first week of March.
17:07Now is it bluebell weather?
17:14This evening we're seeing partly cloudy skies, temperatures between 9 and 10 across the county,
17:18clear skies in the west, partly cloudy in the east.
17:21Into tomorrow morning, 9 and 10 degrees across the board, a lot of that cloud staying across
17:26the county with wind speeds dropping.
17:27And here is tomorrow evening, sorry, tomorrow afternoon, more of that cloud staying around.
17:34And here's your outlook.
17:35Wednesday, 14 degrees, more of that cloud getting slightly milder to 13 degrees with
17:40some cloud remaining.
17:50Now, don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent by logging
17:54on to our website, that's kmtv.co.uk.
17:57There you'll find all our reports, including this one about Ashford Model Railway Museum's
18:02grand opening.
18:03So I'm absolutely thrilled to declare it open.
18:11This ribbon cutting ceremony has been years in the making.
18:16After battling Covid, rising cost and location problems, Ashford Model Train Museum has opened
18:26a new unit, showcasing railway wonders throughout history.
18:33This has been a dream of project lead Cliff Parsons, who's got the exhibit running whilst battling
18:41terminal kidney and lung cancer.
18:44I'm so pleased, so pleased for everybody and the nation, you know, this is for the nation
18:51and the hobby and the manufacturers to keep the hobby alive and to try and get children
18:58off their mobile phones and do something useful with their hands for a change.
19:05It's been a pleasure helping Cliff realise his dream over these last six years since I got
19:10involved.
19:12Cliff's not been well, and I know in the early time that I got involved in 2019 and 2020 was
19:18perhaps not in a good way, but it's been really great to see how bringing the project to fruition,
19:23realising his dream, has really helped him battle with his cancer, get back on his feet
19:28and really get active again in the hobby.
19:30So you know, doing this for Cliff has been, it's been really, really worthwhile and very
19:36fulfilling.
19:37The Mayor of Ashford was also in attendance to witness the grand opening.
19:44I think as I said earlier, I think God's got Cliff's back because there's limitless room
19:50for expansion here.
19:52So as this wonderful education centre grows, I think it's in the right place.
20:00So good luck to them all, it's a marvellous project.
20:03It is an education centre, it's so much more than just a railway exhibition.
20:09The passion for model trains also goes beyond this celebration, proving the hobby is far
20:18from running out of steam.
20:21I'm sitting on the Spitfire line, which can take visitors around the building and was put
20:28together by volunteers, which really shows the passion for the train model building community.
20:36Henry Luck for Kane TV in Ashford.
20:42Now the Royal British Veterans Enterprise has hosted its annual Great Tommy Sleepout.
20:47The event has members of the charity and businesses braving a night of camping outside to raise money
20:52for the organisation.
20:53The money is then used to tackle the issue of rough sleeping by providing employment and housing.
20:58Our community reporter Henry Luck has been down to find out more.
21:02It's that time of year again when Royal British Veteran Enterprise volunteers and business owners
21:09take on the challenge of rough sleeping to raise money for a vital cause.
21:16The Great Tommy Sleepout has returned and many have gathered here at Detling Showground
21:23to spend the night in nothing but makeshift shelters.
21:28Many veterans from World War II and even today experienced rough sleeping like this.
21:37And the Great Tommy Sleepout is all about raising awareness for the public to tackle the problem today.
21:45Many of the campers are ex-military and know what it's like to sleep under the stars almost every night.
21:54Obviously we had more provisions and stuff available to us but it gives you a sense of what military personnel
22:01actually go through on a daily basis and it's something to take away for everyone really.
22:08It sort of puts you in the shoes or the boots shall I say of military personnel both now and
22:13before.
22:15And I believe that obviously if anyone can experience something like this it actually brings you closer to what this
22:21is all about.
22:21From ever since being a child being a boy playing in the woods locally in Wales to going on through
22:29my life experiences
22:31this has just always been a part of my life and I couldn't not turn this down and also yet
22:39again it's for a very good cause.
22:41To me it means so much. It's what we stand for. It's about supporting people who have served. It's about
22:50the work that we do on our village to support veterans.
22:53And it brings communities together. So not only at events like this where people can come together but across the
23:01country people are sleeping out.
23:03We're anticipating that almost 20,000 people will be taking part in the campaign up and down the country.
23:08And that might be events like this where they get together with their work colleagues or groups or they might
23:15be taking part on their own or with their families in their own back garden.
23:18So far over 700,000 pounds have been raised against a seven and a half hundred thousand pound target.
23:29Meaning support for veterans is still ongoing even during the darkest of nights.
23:37Henry Luck became TV in Maidstone.
23:45Great piece from Henry there.
23:47Next, shrinkflation is when we see a product reduce in size and right but not in price.
23:54And there's no better example of this than with Easter eggs.
23:57Every year the discussion around whether or not they're getting smaller is revisited.
24:00But as you know this may have something to do with the price and availability of cocoa beans.
24:05Well, our reporter Etalee Reynolds joins me now with more on this.
24:08So, Etalee, right here, right now, we're answering the question, are they getting smaller?
24:12So, I have bad news.
24:14They are actually getting smaller.
24:16According to which, the price of branded chocolate eggs has actually seen up to a or more than a 40
24:23% increase in price.
24:26We can see this with one of the leading supermarkets and a branded Easter egg would have cost £5.97
24:33and weigh in at 210 grams in the past.
24:37But in 2025, so just last year, the same brand egg would be 252 grams and would cost £4.98.
24:47And this is where we see that 40% increase per 100 grams.
24:52Another one we see is where one Easter egg went from 231 grams to 194, yet the price only increased
25:01from £6 to £7.
25:04I see. I'm hiding my immeasurable disappointment and I'm trying to remain professional.
25:08Can you tell us a bit about why exactly this is? Why are companies doing this to us and to
25:14the holiday?
25:14So, chocolate has actually become increasingly expensive over several years due to things such like extreme weather and poor harvest
25:22from where we get these cocoa beans from.
25:25Especially in West Africa, where more than half of the world's cocoa beans are harvested.
25:31I actually spoke to a local chocolatier company in Rochester and they explained to me a bit about what impacts
25:37this has on the business and what we might see.
25:40So, a lot of the issues we've seen with cocoa and chocolate prices over the last two years has been
25:44driven by the reports of the harvest not being great.
25:48So, then there's a reaction from the market to either hold onto that cocoa or increase the price of it.
25:54So, a lot of the issues we've seen with chocolate prices down to uncertainty as much as anything else.
26:01We haven't got long before we go, but how can shoppers make sure they're getting the best value for money?
26:05So, the best way you can make sure you're getting that value for money is by checking the price per
26:11100 grams.
26:12So, let's just make sure that you are getting the best price for the most amount of egg.
26:16A bit of bang for your buck, if you will, there.
26:18Brilliant. Okay, well, thank you so much for bringing us all the latest on this, Etterly.
26:22I'll keep my eyes out for any deals.
26:26Well, unfortunately, that is all the time we have for now, but don't go anywhere.
26:31Just after this, we'll have our show, our sports show, in fact, Invictus Sports.
26:35As always, all the latest news on your sports timeline.
26:40You can also check out our website, kmtv.co.uk, for all our other news as well.
26:44But that's it from us here. Happy Easter.
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