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Catch up with your latest news from across the county with Meghan Shaw
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00:30Hello and welcome to Kent's Night Live here on KMTV.
00:34I'm Megan Shaw and here are your top stories on Tuesday the 7th of April.
00:39Fatal skydiving investigation.
00:42A man in his 50s dies after jumping from a plane at Headcorn Aerodrome.
00:48I'm here at the Headcorn Aerodrome to discuss the details of the incident that happened yesterday.
00:54Cutting down on knife crime.
00:56A school in Medway uses virtual reality to learn about the consequences of carrying a blade.
01:02All this over him, over me asking him to stop winning my friend and I was thinking like what if
01:09I die here today?
01:10Like what if I don't see my family when I get back home?
01:12And Autism Acceptance Month.
01:15We're joined by Kelly Milano from Club Awesome to talk about why April is so important for the autistic community.
01:32But first, a skydiver in his 50s has died after jumping from a plane at Headcorn Aerodrome near Ashford.
01:40Emergency services were called to the scene yesterday.
01:43The death is currently being treated as unexplained, with an investigation now underway.
01:48And to give us more details of this incident and eyewitness reports, Kristen Hawthorne joins us now, live from the
01:55scene.
01:55So Kristen, tell us, what do we know so far?
02:00Yes, well yesterday morning a plane was seen on the flight radar, leaving the area, leaving the aerodrome at 8
02:07.36am in the morning, later landing again at 9.24am.
02:12People gathered near where the planes were parked in the nearby fields and the airfield's fire and rescue vehicle was
02:18also there.
02:19A police spokesman has confirmed that the force was called at 5 minutes past 10, following a report that the
02:25body of a parachutist had been located near the area.
02:29Officers then attended the scene, where a man in his 50s was confirmed to be deceased.
02:34Forensic teams from Kemp Police were at the scene late into the evening.
02:38Flights were halted throughout the day on Easter Monday as emergency services were called.
02:43So at this stage, Megan, the death is currently being treated as unexplained and an investigation is underway in liaison
02:50with the regulator, British Skydiving.
02:53A report has also been completed for the coroner.
02:56I see, Kristen.
02:57And there were also a handful of witnesses there at the time.
03:00So can you tell me what they said?
03:03Yes, so there was five eyewitnesses at the scene.
03:06One of those was Lucy Barrett, who has been speaking to Kent Online.
03:10In her statement, she said that she was preparing for a skydive at 9.30am when she was told by
03:17the operators, go skydive, that it had been cancelled due to a fatality.
03:21She said, there's five people in our group and we saw what looked like a person falling and the chute
03:26did not open.
03:27We were in the next jump and I was trying to get in the right headspace to jump.
03:30I did not believe that it had happened and I was trying to keep myself composed.
03:35There was a woman who was really upset about it and we were trying to calm her down.
03:38There was a search and only five of the six parachutes that should have been there were found.
03:44We were told, we weren't told who died, but what I gathered was that it was a man who had
03:48around 10 years of experience in skydiving.
03:52Thank you, Kristen.
03:53And what statements have been released so far?
03:58So, so far, the statements, a spokesperson for Go Skydive said that we're aware of the incident involving the Solo
04:05Club Skydiver, a drop zone in Headcorn.
04:07Our thoughts are with those affected.
04:09They would like to express their sincere thanks to all emergency services and on-site teams for their swift and
04:15professional response,
04:16as well as to the ground staff who are assisting at this time.
04:20At this stage, we're unable to provide any further information and we will continue to cooperate fully with the appropriate
04:26authorities.
04:27The Air Ambulance Service and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch have also been contacted for comment, but we've not heard
04:33back from them yet.
04:34Thank you, Kristen, for bringing us that story and we'll follow that one as it continues.
04:40Next, this evening, the government is set to launch its plan to halve knife crime within a decade.
04:46They'll unveil the Safety In and Around Schools Partnership, a plan to invest £1.2 million to support 250 schools
04:54in areas of high knife crime.
04:56And last week, the Minister for Crime and Policing visited a school in Medway to educate students about knife crime
05:02in their area using virtual reality.
05:05Nila Mohamed has more.
05:06In a school hall in Medway, students are stepping into a different reality, one that's designed to help them make
05:13safer choices in the real world.
05:15Using virtual reality headsets, students experienced a scenario that explored the serious consequences of carrying a knife.
05:23And this is a bit of what they saw.
05:26Yo, this is getting out of hand.
05:29And now they know I'm carrying, they expect me to use it.
05:33What am I going to do?
05:37The education that the kids have had today, really interactive, really powerful, is really important because it teaches you that
05:43if you carry a knife, you're actually going to be less safe.
05:45And look, we have a long way to go.
05:47Knife crime has been on the rise for a long time.
05:49It's now going in the right direction, but there are lots of different interventions that we have to get right.
05:55We have to do the policing.
05:56We have to catch the perpetrators.
05:58We have to put them away.
05:59We have to make sure they're getting the justice that the victims deserve.
06:01But we also have to think about how do we prevent these things from happening in the first place?
06:07How do we support the people living in areas where there is violence?
06:11But for Martin Cosser, who lost his son to knife violence in 2023, the government could be doing more.
06:18So a lot of the stuff they're doing at the moment are targeting areas with higher rates of knife crime,
06:22which I understand.
06:23But I think what we've got to do is look at the bigger picture and look at areas that aren't
06:27struggling as much at the moment and get in there and attack it before it becomes a problem.
06:32You know, let's not be reactive.
06:34Let's be proactive.
06:35So I know that's going to cost more money.
06:36But when life's being lost, surely that's the sensible investment.
06:40The table discussion gave students the opportunity to voice their concerns over knife safety, especially after taking part in the
06:46VR activity and chatting to the minister and Martin about Charlie's promise.
06:50But what kind of things have these students been witnessing?
06:53Well, it all started when my friend was being bullied in school.
06:57So I heard about it.
06:58I didn't go up there and start on him.
07:00I asked him politely, can you please stop bullying my friend?
07:02It's making him really like, it's making him depressed.
07:05He's been bullying him for months.
07:06And he was like, oh, why are you coming over? He's starting from me.
07:08What, do you want some yet?
07:09And I was like, no, I've just asked you to stop bullying my friend.
07:13And they were like, all right, come meet you after school then.
07:15I was like, okay, that's fine.
07:17So I met him after school.
07:20Had a fight with him.
07:21After the fight was finished, he got a pair of teeth.
07:23He got scissors at his bag, grabbed them like this and started swinging for me.
07:27I've got the scar on my hand there and there from where he had actually swung at me.
07:35So what was going through my mind, I was thinking like, all this over him, over me asking him to
07:43stop bullying my friend.
07:43And I was thinking like, what if I die here today?
07:45Like, what if I don't see my family when I get back home?
07:47And have you witnessed anything yourself or experienced it?
07:50Yeah, right in front of me, two people with both backed out knives.
07:54And it was just, I called the police straight away and they came and both arrested them both.
07:59And not even long ago, some other guy was backed out, like, a knife about this long.
08:05It's really, it's not safe.
08:14Now, if you or someone you know has been affected by the topic of this report, you can reach out
08:23to any of the charities on screen now.
08:31Now, households across the county are set to face higher bills this month, such as water and council tax, as
08:38Tudor Price has been telling us.
08:40Thank you so much for joining us, Tudor.
08:43So, I mean, first of all, now the age to claim your state pension is 67.
08:48Can you tell me what that means?
08:49Because it's quite different depending on when you were born, I think.
08:54It does.
08:54It mainly affects people sort of between 1960 and 1961, 62, that sort of area.
09:02It will be phased in over the next year.
09:05So, it's not going to come in straight away.
09:07So, depending on where your birthday was as to when that sort of comes into play.
09:11So, there are some slight adjustments to be made around this going forward.
09:15So, the triple lock really is a means by which you sort of calculate the rates of increase.
09:20So, it takes into account not just inflation, but it takes into account other measures as well.
09:25So, the consumer's price index and other elements.
09:29And it brings together three measures and say, right, okay, collectively, what's the highest of these three?
09:35That's the one that's going to be applied.
09:37And, of course, because we have so many more people now who are of pensionable age, it means it's costing
09:44the government quite a bit of money.
09:45And then we know the government are looking to see ways to make minor changes.
09:49And, actually, even a small change to the triple lock will actually free up several billions.
09:56And, of course, that money could possibly then be spent with the NHS or the defence or other areas of
10:01the economy.
10:02And, of course, April is a time where, unfortunately, lots of bills go up.
10:07So, we're seeing council tax raise by almost 5% and water bills going up as well, as well as
10:12energy, of course.
10:13So, what can people do, you know, to kind of mitigate these increasing costs they might see in April?
10:19Well, sadly, they're sort of doing what they should do, really.
10:21And this is one of the consequences of foreign policy in the Middle East.
10:26You know, we've seen what the U.S. is doing and the impacts having on oil, which in turn means
10:30petrol pump prices go up.
10:32But, also, the cost of shipping goes up, which means that the products that were brought by the ships and
10:37by the lorries is now more expensive to get into the shops.
10:40And so, all of that has a knock-on effect.
10:42And, of course, what that does is that people then think, actually, I'm going to keep the pounds in my
10:46pocket.
10:47I'm going to be a little bit more frugal about my sort of spending choices.
10:50I might not go out to dinner quite so much.
10:52So, I'm like, perhaps, when you cut back on sort of spending things on takeaways or sort of coffees and
10:57things.
10:58And so, as a result of which, the business community will start to see that impact.
11:02Thank you so much, Tudor, for joining us once again and for giving us all the updates we need to
11:07know.
11:09You're very welcome.
11:10A man from Ashford has been punished by the courts after marrying his second wife without divorcing his first.
11:18Wayne Williams married his first wife, Jodie, in 2007.
11:21However, they split the following year without an official divorce.
11:25The 45-year-old went on to marry another woman in Maidstone in 2019, failing to mention he was already
11:32wed.
11:33His secret was uncovered when his first bride decided she wanted a divorce and, after looking up on Facebook, contacted
11:39the second.
11:40After the matter was reported to police, Williams was charged with bigamy and later received a three-month suspended sentence
11:47and was ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work.
11:52And that's all we've got time for in this part of the show.
11:55But stick around, as we'll have Maisie Walker giving you sports news, the weather,
11:59and Kelly Milano talking about Awesome Awareness Month.
12:10Bye.
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15:21Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight live here on KMTV.
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15:42Harrington died following an incident in Belmont Road last Friday
15:46in what police believe was a stabbing attack.
15:48Police have asked anyone who may have any information
15:51that could assist the investigation to get in contact.
15:54His family have since set up a fundraising page
15:56with proceeds going to Safer Kent,
15:58a charity that aims to prevent crime and antisocial behaviour.
16:02An arsonist has been put in prison after starting a fire
16:05below a block of flats in Chatham.
16:08This was the aftermath of a fire Michelle Sutcliffe started in New Road.
16:12Causing several cars to go up in flames.
16:1640-year-old Sutcliffe had entered the parking area
16:18just after midnight on December 13th,
16:21setting fire to a pile of rubbish before walking away
16:24before the fire spread.
16:25She was later charged with arson with recklessness
16:28as to whether life was endangered.
16:30She pled guilty and received two years and two months
16:33at Maidstone Magistrates Court.
16:36Six men from across the Medway towns have been imprisoned
16:40after raiding a house in Coxheath armed with weapons.
16:43Described by the judges as an invasion,
16:45five of them wore masks and had a machete and crowbar
16:48and will serve a total of 67 years between them for their crimes.
16:52And Finn McDermid joins me to tell us more.
16:55So, Finn, first of all, can you just talk us through the details of the raid?
16:59Absolutely, Meg.
17:01We've got the six men involved in the raid here.
17:04Of those six, two of them, Keith Cranley and Darren Adams,
17:08they provided transport to the property in Coxheath,
17:11which, according to the judge and according to the court proceedings,
17:13was specifically targeted for this robbery.
17:17While Daquan Samuel, Ainsley, Lewis, Gene,
17:19Solomon Howard and Tyress Johnson were some of the five masked intruders
17:23who forced their way into the home.
17:24Now, the house had a few occupants.
17:26It had the brothers, Dean and Ben Sharp, along with Ben's partner
17:29and a six-month-old baby, all who were staying there.
17:32The two men were attacked by the five.
17:34Ring doorbell footage was found and showed in court,
17:38showing them entering the sounds of breaking glass
17:40and screaming as they were attacked.
17:42Fast forward to last October,
17:44where five of the men denied a charge of aggravated burglary,
17:47but they were all convicted after a five-week trial.
17:50Johnson, the sixth man, having pled guilty last May.
17:53Then they, last Thursday at Maidstone Crown Court,
17:55heard that sentence of 67 years between them
17:58for what the judge called a significantly well-planned,
18:01well-organised joint venture
18:02that left their victims' lives changed forever.
18:05I see.
18:06I mean, you've walked us through the court proceedings there as well.
18:09So what was the impact on the family?
18:11Well, the impact on the family, as I say,
18:14they were attacked.
18:15Dean Smith, Dean Sharp, sorry,
18:17was hit with weapons to his head and his arms
18:19in what he called a savage attack.
18:21In court, he said,
18:22I will never come to terms with what happened last night.
18:25That night, we were visiting for my daughter's first Christmas.
18:27It was meant to be a special time for all our family
18:29and to enjoy.
18:30Instead, it turned out to be the worst time of our lives
18:32and Christmas will never be the same again.
18:34So it really speaks to the difficulty
18:36and just how hard it was to deal with this specific crime.
18:41Of course, Finn.
18:42Thank you so much for bringing us that story.
18:46And now, let's take a look at the weather.
18:52Tonight's weather is looking mostly cloudy across Medway.
18:56Lows of 9 in Dartford.
18:57Highs of 12 in Margate.
19:00Going into tomorrow morning, 13s, 14s across the board.
19:03Lots of nice sun.
19:05You can leave your jackets at home.
19:07Into the afternoon, really heating up there.
19:0923 degrees up in Dartford and Medway.
19:12Lows of 19 in Margate, still very warm.
19:15And your outlook for the week.
19:17Enjoy the sun on Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
19:20Back to some clouds.
19:21Lows of 13 and 14.
19:29And with that sun, will you be watching the latest game?
19:33Well, Maisie Walker has the latest sporting news
19:35across the county.
19:45That's what we've come for.
19:46That's what we've paid our money for.
19:48These are the words from Gillingham managers Gareth Ainsworth
19:51as Gareth McCleary scored on Monday against Arkington Stanley,
19:55coming to a 2-0 win for the Jills yesterday.
19:58Look at that.
19:59Passed into the box for a sharp 1-2
20:01before absolutely smashing it into the top right corner.
20:04The Jills signed McCleary last summer on a one-year contract,
20:08with the option of extending it for another 12 months.
20:10And manager Gareth Ainsworth must decide
20:13whether to take that option up.
20:16Staying on football,
20:17Folkestone and Victor have been crowned champions
20:19after a dramatic season,
20:21sealed by their captain's goal.
20:23The title win marks a huge achievement
20:25and will be remembered as a defining moment for the club.
20:28Manager Jay Saunders said,
20:30I remember Lockyer's go going in
20:32and it was almost like relief.
20:33You know you're going to get across the line
20:35and you know you're almost there.
20:37But when that went in, we could relax.
20:40A Dartford sprinter, Adam Jamil,
20:42has announced his retirement at 32 years old
20:45and has revealed he's been coaching youngsters
20:47at Chelsea Football Club
20:49before launching his own academy.
20:51The three-time Olympian says he's ready for new adventures
20:53after a 14-year career.
20:56Jamil, a footballer before switching to athletics,
20:59has been helping out as a speed coach at Chelsea's academy,
21:02the club where he started as a boy.
21:04And now he's launched his own academy,
21:06aimed at helping young athletes and footballers
21:08to maximise their speed.
21:10Jamil said,
21:11I've been doing it all my adult life,
21:13since I was 18 years old.
21:15I'm now 32.
21:17It maybe stopped meaning the same to me
21:19that it did in my 20s,
21:20and really competing.
21:22And it was my be-all and end-all.
21:24I've always wanted to bow out on my own terms
21:26and it seems like the perfect way to do it.
21:28So I'm happy.
21:37And April marks Autism Acceptance Month,
21:41which is a global effort to promote inclusion,
21:43understanding and support for autistic people.
21:46And here in Medway,
21:47Club Awesome works hard to support children and young people
21:50with additional needs or disabilities,
21:52including those with autism.
21:54So I'm now joined by Kelly Milano,
21:56the founder of the charity base here in Medway.
21:59So thank you very much for joining me.
22:02And first of all,
22:03noticeably,
22:04it's not Autism Awareness Month, is it?
22:06It's Autism Acceptance Month.
22:07So can you tell me about that?
22:09Club Awesome,
22:10it'll be Autism Appreciation.
22:12So Autism Acceptance,
22:13we want the world to change, really.
22:16We want everyone to embrace that everyone's different,
22:18be kind, be inclusive.
22:20You know,
22:21the world would be a better place, wouldn't it,
22:22if we were all just a little bit nicer to each other?
22:26I don't know what else to say, really.
22:28And obviously you're doing,
22:30you're doing a lot this month, aren't you?
22:32Full Club Awesome,
22:32you've come dressed for the occasion,
22:33so tell us about that.
22:35So my 30 days all started back in 2022.
22:38I was dared by one of the young people
22:40to dress up for Oprah Fool's Day.
22:42I've got ADHD,
22:43so I just said,
22:45oh, I'll do it for the whole month.
22:47Before realising what I'd said,
22:49I'd already said it.
22:49So I did do the first 30 days in fancy dress.
22:52Had lots and lots of fun.
22:54I danced, by the way,
22:55Corn Statue dressed as a traffic cone.
22:56I was a whoopee cushion.
22:58We're 10 years old as a charity this year,
23:00so we thought we'd do it one more time.
23:02And today I am a Christmas tree.
23:04Who picks the outfits?
23:05Is it you?
23:06Me or the children,
23:07young people.
23:08So yeah, yesterday I was a carrot.
23:10I had very orange skin
23:12for our Easter fun day.
23:13I've been a rainbow.
23:15Always a rainbow on the first of the month
23:16because that's our logo.
23:17And the rainbow's the spectrum, isn't it?
23:20So it's all about, you know,
23:21appreciating the beauty
23:22that is autism, really.
23:23Absolutely.
23:24And I can imagine
23:24when you're out and about
23:25and people come up to you
23:26and they ask you what
23:27and you get that chance
23:28to talk about Club Awesome.
23:30Is that kind of the name of the game, really?
23:32Absolutely.
23:32It's to kind of teach children
23:34it's okay to be different, really.
23:36You know, who cares
23:36what anyone else thinks?
23:38So go out and rock the world as you are.
23:39And if people ask questions,
23:41then get an opportunity
23:42to spread the word.
23:43Of course.
23:44And on the screen,
23:45we've seen lots of pictures
23:46of kind of the activities.
23:47We've got one here
23:48of the kind of events
23:49you run for young people.
23:51So can you talk us through
23:51kind of the work you do at Club Awesome?
23:53So what do we do?
23:54What don't we do?
23:55So we've got a youth club
23:56on a Monday night
23:57and we have two sessions,
23:58one for under 11s
23:59and one for over 11s.
24:01We do lots of life skills,
24:03baking, cooking, socialising,
24:04building friendships.
24:06Tuesdays, Saturdays,
24:07we have our very own space
24:08in Canterbury Street in Gillingham.
24:10Do lots of home education,
24:12lots of learning niches
24:13like this last term about space.
24:15We do history,
24:17we do science and technology.
24:19All the children would quite like
24:20to blow things up,
24:21but I promise you,
24:22I'm a very sensible adult
24:23and we don't do that.
24:25We do lots of arts and crafts,
24:27but the whole reason
24:27there's small groups
24:28so they get a chance to socialise
24:30as well as learning.
24:31There's lots of laughing
24:32and yeah,
24:32the children make friends
24:33and they learn to trust adults.
24:36So that's the important thing.
24:38We do a lot of baking,
24:39a lot of cooking.
24:41What did we make last week?
24:42All of our cooking on a Thursday
24:44is themed around
24:45what we've learnt about that morning.
24:47So when we learnt all about Mars,
24:48we made red rice crispy cakes
24:50and there's a lot of talking
24:51and if you're having fun,
24:52you remember what you've learnt.
24:54And then we've also got
24:54our own sensory den in Chatham,
24:56which is available to hire,
24:58which gives everyone calm space
24:59compared to some of the crazier
25:01things we do.
25:02And then yeah,
25:03the karate,
25:04on a Sunday morning at Strood,
25:05we're very lucky.
25:07Our sensei's neurodivergent,
25:08so he really,
25:10really gets the children.
25:11And then apart from that,
25:13day trips,
25:14we're off to Windsor Castle
25:14in a few days' time
25:15for a nice exclusive tour.
25:17They're taking us around the castle
25:19to show the children,
25:20all sorts of everything.
25:22And yeah,
25:23lots of fun days and stuff.
25:24That's great.
25:25That's great.
25:26And obviously,
25:27you know,
25:28it's autism appreciation day.
25:29We've not got too much time
25:30or as you said,
25:32month, I suppose.
25:33Would you say the fight
25:34kind of for that
25:35awareness,
25:35appreciation,
25:37I don't know what recognition is?
25:38It's all year round.
25:39Yeah.
25:39You know,
25:39it's nice to have a month,
25:41isn't it,
25:41where everyone seems to get on board
25:43and start talking about it.
25:44But really,
25:44Club Awesome do that all year round.
25:46You know,
25:46we make people aware.
25:47I'd like to think people
25:48are already aware
25:49of those that are autistic.
25:50They should already be accepting.
25:52We shouldn't even have to ask for that.
25:53So if we can just appreciate our kids,
25:56we'd quite like to change it
25:57to autism appreciation,
25:58year,
25:59month,
26:00every day,
26:00if we could.
26:01Absolutely.
26:02They're great.
26:02For people who might be at home
26:04who might have just learned
26:05about Club Awesome,
26:06what would you say?
26:07Would you say,
26:08come along?
26:08Would you say,
26:09get involved?
26:09Come along,
26:10meet the team.
26:10We're really lucky.
26:11We've got a great team.
26:12All of our team are adults
26:14that have got young people
26:15with autism or ADHD
26:16or learning disabilities.
26:19Hardly ever say no.
26:20You don't have to be a member
26:21to join us.
26:22We've got coffee morning
26:23on a Friday morning
26:24where we support parents
26:25and I go out to lots of schools
26:27and do quite a lot of advocacy.
26:29So,
26:30you know,
26:30there's always an opportunity
26:31to stop me in the street,
26:32say hello,
26:34especially if I'm dressed up
26:35like this.
26:36You don't really miss me,
26:37I don't think.
26:39Yeah,
26:39just come along,
26:40bring the children along.
26:41We have a fun time
26:42and I promise you,
26:43we will have seen everything.
26:45Absolutely.
26:45Everything.
26:46Well,
26:46thank you for joining.
26:47We'll be keeping our out
26:48for all the events
26:49across the month
26:50and the year.
26:51And you've been watching
26:52Kent Tonight Life
26:52here on KMTV.
26:54Check out our website,
26:55but for now,
26:55we'll see you later.
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