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Finn Macdiarmid reports.
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00:36Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
00:40I'm Finn McDermott and here are your top stories on Monday the 11th of May.
00:45Still unable to walk alone.
00:47The words of a victim of indecent exposure in Raynham two years on.
00:52I'm here outside Maidstone Crown Court,
00:55where 23-year-old Lewis Godfrey was sentenced to five months prison, suspended for 15 months.
01:02Keep your head in the game.
01:04A charity in Herne Bay are raising the awareness of mental fitness.
01:09So if we're going to talk about it negatively because of the stigma around mental health,
01:13or people even saying I don't have mental health,
01:15I would rather not use the word and just say, well, let's talk about our mental fitness.
01:20And beauty and the beach.
01:22A DL teenager is going to represent the UK in a glamorous international pageant.
01:27I think a lot of people judge it wrong.
01:30I think they all think it's about looks and it's about your weight or how tall you are
01:35or how petite you are, but it's not about that.
01:47Now, before we get into our top story for today,
01:51the headlines have been dominated by coverage of Sir Keir Starmer's speech today
01:55after a huge loss for the Labour Party at local elections.
01:58Across the country, Reform UK gained more than 1,400 councillors,
02:03with Labour losing just more than that.
02:05Here in Kent, recent local elections have seen the Greens and Lib Dems gain control in some areas.
02:11So could we see a shift in the county's politics?
02:14But before that, let's hear what the Prime Minister had to say.
02:18It's about taking responsibility to explain how, as a political and electoral force,
02:25we will be better and do better in the months and years ahead.
02:42This hurts not just because Labour has done badly, but because if we don't get this right,
02:50our country will go down a very dark path.
02:56So just as I take responsibility for the results,
03:00I also take responsibility for delivering the change that we promised
03:05for a stronger and fairer Britain that we must build.
03:10For more analysis on the state of Kent's political scene,
03:14I spoke to Dan Essin, the local democracy reporter for Kent Online, earlier.
03:18So Tunbridge Wells was quite unique for a local election.
03:21It's the only proper Liberal Democrat stronghold in all of Kent.
03:24They've historically been quite strong there.
03:26Across a lot of West Kent, they are the opposition.
03:28The Labour Party really, really struggles in, you know,
03:31Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Tunbridge Mall, in that kind of area.
03:33And the Cliftonville victory, while obviously the Greens are very happy
03:36with themselves about it, that was done very successfully
03:40off the back of mobilising a particular part of the electorate in Cliftonville,
03:43who many people locally would disparagingly say are the kind of
03:47priced-out-of-London, quite highly educated metropolitan middle-class source.
03:51That's something of a caricature, but there is something to that.
03:53I don't think this speaks to the kind of resurgence of the left-leaning parties.
03:56It speaks to more the collapse of the existing main parties
03:59in the form of Labour and the Conservatives,
04:01and other parties successfully capitalising on that.
04:03And reform is a symptom of essentially the same thing.
04:06I see.
04:07And were you expecting the overwhelming result
04:10and for Labour to have such severe losses?
04:13Yeah, I mean, I wasn't surprised,
04:14but I don't think any political commentator or journalist in the country
04:18would have been surprised by it.
04:19It was obvious, I think, for a long time,
04:21from last year there were local elections
04:23and the Labour Party did quite badly there,
04:24and that was in places that weren't even their sort of historic core vote.
04:28Most of the local elections last year,
04:30like the ones we had in Kemp,
04:30were in kind of relatively rural England.
04:33This year's elections were in built-up urban England,
04:35and even there they received a pretty bad trouncing.
04:39So I wasn't surprised by it,
04:41and I think this kind of thing was baked in from the fact
04:42that when the Labour Party won the general election in 2024,
04:46despite having a massive majority,
04:47it was done on a historically tiny turnout.
04:50They were elected with,
04:51if you combine turnout figures with the total population eligible to vote
04:54who weren't even registered,
04:55only about one in five British adults actually voted for the Labour Party.
04:59And as a party, as a tiny membership, especially post-Corbyn,
05:03it really shouldn't surprise anybody the Labour Party are doing quite badly.
05:06And how much of a litmus test for general polling would you say
05:10that local elections are?
05:12I mean, down the road, could we look back and say,
05:15well, this was when we knew that reform were going to be so much bigger?
05:19No, it's hard to treat it as a litmus test, really,
05:22because the turnout is very low.
05:23In Kent, in Tunbridge, Wales, there was a turnout of 45%,
05:26which is actually quite high for a local election.
05:28That's about 10% to 13% higher than you would usually get.
05:32But the extent to which you can treat them as representatives of the general public
05:35is limited, but it's more of a...
05:37The kind of people who vote in local elections
05:39are the kind of people who tend to be quite politically engaged, full stop.
05:42A man convicted of one count of indecent exposure in Raynham
05:47has been sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court.
05:49Lewis Godfrey followed a woman out of a Raynham shopping centre
05:53before exposing himself and will avoid prison,
05:55provided he doesn't re-offend within the next 15 months.
05:58The victim, who can't be named, gave an impact statement
06:01where she said that before it, she was a confident and independent woman.
06:05Megan Shaw was at the court earlier.
06:07I'm here outside Maidstone Crown Court,
06:10where 23-year-old Lewis Godfrey was sentenced to five months prison,
06:15suspended for 15 months and 100 hours of unpaid community work,
06:20after he was found guilty of one count of indecent exposure back in February.
06:25The court heard that around mid-morning on the 8th of January 2024,
06:30Mr Godfrey followed a woman from Raynham shopping centre,
06:33past the Healthy Living Centre and towards the post office.
06:36He continued to follow her as she walked along Church Path,
06:40before overtaking her and then exposing himself in front of her in an alleyway.
06:45Despite being convicted, Mr Godfrey continues to maintain his innocence,
06:50instead insisting he stops to relieve himself.
06:53Prosecuting Pietro Materazzo said,
06:55because of this denial, the defendant can't be said to show any case of remorse for his actions in the
07:01case.
07:01But mitigating, James Harrison said that Mr Godfrey from Canvey Island in Essex
07:06is of good character and hard working,
07:08with endeavours to move out of his family home and live with his girlfriend and their children.
07:13An impact statement from the victim that was read in court said,
07:16I was a confident and independent woman.
07:19Since that day, that confidence has been knocked.
07:22I now feel vulnerable in situations where I never did before.
07:25I do not like men walking behind me.
07:28If a man is behind me, I immediately question his intentions.
07:31I cross the road, change direction or do whatever I can to avoid having a man walk behind me.
07:37I hate that I feel this way.
07:39I hate that something has been taken from me that I simply can't get back.
07:43It's been just over two years since the offence and I still feel this way.
07:48I hope in time that this insecurity will fade,
07:51but at present it remains a part of my daily life.
07:54Sentencing, Judge St John Stephen said,
07:57it must have been a terrifying experience for Mr Godfrey's victim,
08:01who was just going about her daily business that morning in Marina.
08:05Addressing Mr Godfrey, he said,
08:07you still haven't come to terms with the offence that you've been convicted of.
08:11I still can't understand how you maintain your innocence.
08:14The effect on the victim has been significant.
08:17She described herself as being confident and independent,
08:20but now feels vulnerable when walking alone.
08:23She stood up for herself and every woman who has been followed
08:26and been frightened and violated as you did.
08:29She should be proud of her strength to do that.
08:32She was believed in the court process.
08:34And she should take that away and start to rebuild her life.
08:37As well as his sentence given on Thursday the 7th of May,
08:42Mr Godfrey also received a seven-year restraining order
08:45against the victim and her husband
08:47and ordered to pay £500 in compensation.
08:51Megan Shaw for Kame TV in Maidstone.
08:55A county line's drug dealer operating across East Kent
08:58has been imprisoned for more than seven years.
09:01This is the moment Kausa Azad was caught after leading police
09:05on a high-speed chase through Canterbury in 2022.
09:08Officers stopped his car and found around 70 wraps of heroin and cocaine,
09:12along with phones containing evidence of drug dealing.
09:15He later admitted to supplying Class A drugs,
09:18dangerous driving and exploitation-related offences,
09:21being sentenced to seven years.
09:26Next, a teaching assistant in Sittingbourne
09:29has been imprisoned after spitting at a child
09:31and pinching another.
09:33That was Danuska Puglia from Iwaid.
09:36She was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday
09:38for four counts of child cruelty.
09:40The incidents are said to have happened
09:42between September 2021 and July 2023.
09:46Chloe Brewster joined me in the studio to tell us more.
09:49Chloe, how could something like this happen?
09:51So Danuska Puglia was a teacher at a special needs school
09:55and she was working there between 2021 and 2023.
09:59In a child-made stone crown court,
10:01the court heard how she would hit, pinch or spit at pupils.
10:05The abuse, witnessed over a two-week period,
10:07was investigated after fellow teaching assistants
10:11as well as parents raised the alarm.
10:13She willingly gave this statement
10:15about an incident to police back in 2023.
10:18I spat not really in her face, but I did spat.
10:21I don't know why I did it,
10:23but I know she did it to me maybe twice.
10:27And I did spat back,
10:30but I can't remember at that time
10:32why I did it or what happened.
10:35This is a separate witness at the school
10:38which has said that they've witnessed you
10:40pinching a child's nose
10:41when they had taken another child's food.
10:44Can you tell me anything about that?
10:46Yes, I did.
10:47I pinched the child's nose
10:48so I could take the food out of his mouth.
10:50That was a chocolate bar.
10:52I didn't really pinch his nose.
10:53I just did this
10:54so I could take the chocolate bar
10:57who was another chocolate bar.
10:59And what training have you had
11:00to have that as a tactic that you should use?
11:02No.
11:04After this, she was charged
11:06and later pled not guilty to the offences.
11:08But in November last year,
11:10she was convicted by a jury unanimously
11:12for four charges of child cruelty.
11:15The court heard,
11:16as well as being physically harmed,
11:18the children suffered emotional
11:19and developmental consequences.
11:21I see.
11:22We haven't got too much time now,
11:23but very quickly,
11:24what did the judge say?
11:26Well, the judge said,
11:27despite the lack of previous offending,
11:29prison time was justified.
11:30She told Puglia her victims
11:31were some of the most vulnerable members of society
11:33and couldn't even provide an account
11:35to their parents, carers or police
11:37about her wicked offences.
11:39The impact of your offending
11:40has rippled far beyond
11:41the children you've harmed, she said.
11:43You continue to deny responsibility
11:45for your actions,
11:46although there is some reference to remorse
11:47in the character reference provided.
11:49I do not accept there is true remorse
11:51on your part.
11:52I see.
11:52Thank you so much for bringing us
11:53all the latest on this, Chloe.
11:55Well, it's now time for a short break,
11:57but join us after just a few minutes.
11:59We'll be back with more of Kent's top stories.
12:28We'll be back with more of Kent's top stories.
15:24Hello, and welcome back to Kent Tonight,
15:26live here on KMTV.
15:27Now, today marks the start
15:29of Mental Health Awareness Week,
15:31which all has a growing focus
15:32on practical steps
15:33to support your mental health.
15:35And in Herne Bay,
15:36one charity is encouraging people
15:37to talk more openly
15:39about mental fitness
15:40and the small steps
15:41that can help build resilience
15:42all through table tennis
15:44and other low-impact sport.
15:46Naila Mohamed has the report for us now.
15:48Around 30,000 adults
15:50have been referred to mental health services
15:52across Kent and Medway
15:54between April 2025 and January 2026.
15:58And this number is only increasing year on year.
16:02And so one charity is calling
16:04for more open conversations
16:06around mental fitness.
16:07When we think of physical health,
16:10the word, you know,
16:11the first words that might pop to our head
16:12is like running,
16:13going to the gym,
16:15walking,
16:16you know,
16:16doing all those positive activities.
16:18When we talk about mental health,
16:20people often go to anxiety,
16:22depression,
16:23all negative things.
16:24But these are just two of our hells.
16:27Yet we talk about one so positively
16:28and one negatively.
16:30So if we're going to talk about it negatively
16:32because of the stigma around mental health
16:34or people even saying
16:35I don't have mental health,
16:36I would rather not use the word
16:38and just say,
16:39well,
16:39let's talk about our mental fitness.
16:41Head in the Game is centred around prevention
16:43rather than crisis support,
16:45using sport to help build resilience
16:47and better manage stress
16:48and anxiety over time.
16:50And the aim is to ease pressure
16:51on frontline services like the NHS.
16:54And here in Hun Bay,
16:56table tennis is a sport of choice,
16:59providing a space for exercise,
17:01social connection,
17:02time outdoors
17:03or for simply taking time
17:05to pause and rest.
17:07It's nobody's forcing anyone
17:08to say anything.
17:09But I think that the environment
17:11and the feeling that it brings
17:13just enables people to relax
17:15and feel that they can open up.
17:17And then they've got a route.
17:19If they don't want to open up in here,
17:22they've met people
17:23that they can contact outside.
17:25In the last couple of years,
17:27I've had my own sort of challenges
17:28with things.
17:29So I found it's been really beneficial to me
17:31to come along,
17:32like sort of break the cycle
17:34of sort of loneliness,
17:35get out of my head a little bit
17:36and sort of be a bit more sociable.
17:38So I've really found that beneficial as well.
17:40Now, these sessions,
17:41they happen all across the county,
17:43ranging from badminton to tennis,
17:45even going on walks.
17:46It's not just table tennis.
17:48And that's what's fun about it.
17:50It ranges from low impact
17:51to higher impact sports
17:52so everyone can feel included
17:54and no one is left out.
17:56And having a go now,
17:58I can see why this is such a fun thing to do.
18:01But I must say,
18:02I am absolutely terrible at table tennis
18:04and definitely needs some more practice.
18:06And with tens of thousands
18:07reaching out for help
18:09across Kent and Medway,
18:10Head in the Games say
18:11talking openly about mental fitness
18:13is a vital first step
18:15in reducing these numbers.
18:17Nayla Mohamed for KMTV
18:19in Hearn Bay.
18:22Drivers in Dover have reacted
18:24to plans by the district council
18:26to make all council car parks cashless.
18:30A report going before cabinet
18:32recommends replacing pay and display machines
18:34with contactless and app-only systems.
18:37Critics say cash should remain an option,
18:39especially for older residents
18:40and those wary of digital payments.
18:42But the council say
18:43that ageing machines are unreliable
18:45and cash use has fallen sharply,
18:47with officials estimating the move
18:48could save around £40,000 a year
18:50if it's approved.
18:52We spoke to some of those
18:53affected by the changes.
18:55Yeah, he's keeping cash.
18:58We need cash.
19:00Even I find it annoying,
19:02shall we say.
19:04Yeah, no, I'd much rather
19:06put my hand in my pocket,
19:07put out the coin, done.
19:08I do use Ringo
19:10if it's impossible to use coin
19:12or I simply don't have change,
19:14but I prefer to put coin in.
19:16I think it's a bad idea.
19:19Yeah, very bad idea.
19:21I mean, not everybody's got a card for a start.
19:23I think a lot of people
19:24would rather put change in a machine
19:27rather than pay by card
19:29because they know they've paid for it.
19:31I think it's unbelievable.
19:32I think, obviously,
19:33sort of my eye on that,
19:34we still don't trust the cards
19:36and the way that they do it
19:37when you pay by card.
19:39No, I've always liked to put coins in.
19:42A long-awaited international air show
19:44near Ramsgate has been cancelled
19:46for a second year in a row.
19:49Organisers say complicated safety guidance
19:51has made the Manston International Air Show
19:53impossible to deliver on time once again
19:55following a cancellation in 2025.
19:57They say despite engaging
19:59with the Civil Aviation Authority,
20:01the issues just can't be resolved.
20:02It was due to take place
20:03at Manston Airport this June
20:05and was billed to be
20:06the most exciting show
20:07in the South East.
20:08They say ticket holders
20:10will now receive refunds
20:11while hopes are turning
20:12to a possible return in 2027.
20:16And let's take a look
20:17at all your sports news
20:18from around the county.
20:29Up first, Canterbury Rugby Club
20:30are celebrating big
20:31after a 95-0 win
20:33over Oxford Harlequins
20:34on Saturday
20:35with head coach Matt Corker
20:36showing some gratitude
20:37to their opponents.
20:39The win saw the conclusion
20:40of their National League 2 East campaign
20:42and saw Oxford relegated.
20:44This game came after a delay
20:46in which a meningitis outbreak
20:47saw the game pushed back from March.
20:49Although not at their strongest,
20:51Oxford did have just enough players
20:52for the match to go ahead.
20:54This has led Matt Corker
20:55to say the overwhelming emotion
20:57is thanks to Oxford Harlequins
20:59for putting a team out.
21:01To football,
21:02Gillingham has been keeping their eye out
21:04for a promising young talent
21:05who looks to be a free agent
21:06in the very near future.
21:08The Gills have been linked
21:09with Callum Stead
21:10in a move that would see
21:11the 26-year-old join the squad
21:13after an impactful performance
21:14against them,
21:15previously scoring six goals
21:17against the side
21:17in a singular game.
21:19However,
21:19the Gills will see competition.
21:21Leighton Orient
21:21has also been linked,
21:22but the move to Gillingham
21:23had been proposed in January,
21:25but nothing came of it then.
21:26We'll see this summer
21:27if the move to the Gills
21:28will happen.
21:31The Ramsgate Youth Club
21:33has become a part of Ramsgate FC
21:34after spending 20 years separated.
21:37The non-lead club's chairman,
21:39James Lawson,
21:39has called this a positive step
21:41going forward,
21:42with a key member of the youth club,
21:43Ian Svivot,
21:44stepping away after three decades.
21:46Phil Adams is another key member
21:47who's secured the long-term future
21:49of Walton Road,
21:50seen as an important part
21:51for the club's youth provision.
21:53The chairman said,
21:54Ian and Phil have built something
21:55that genuinely matters
21:56in the local community,
21:57and our role is to now
21:58carry that forward,
21:59and that Svivot's contribution
22:01to local football
22:02cannot be overstated.
22:04To cricket before we go,
22:05and a number of teams
22:06saw victories
22:07during the Kent League
22:07Premier Division recently,
22:09including defending champions
22:10Tunbridge Wells.
22:12Tunbridge Wells won
22:13with an impressive 10 runs
22:14on Saturday at Sevenoaks Vine.
22:16The win saw New Zealand player
22:17Danru Ferns
22:18was one of the standouts
22:19that saw Tunbridge Wells
22:20walk away with the win.
22:21Other games saw wins
22:22for Blackheath,
22:23Bexley,
22:23Hayes and Bromley,
22:24with Blackheath's win
22:25over Whitspool
22:26being particularly notable
22:27as they won a huge 76-run win.
22:31That's all for your Sports Bulletin.
22:42A teenager from Diehl
22:43will be heading to Vietnam
22:44to represent the UK
22:45in an international beauty competition.
22:48Charlie is 19
22:49and the current title holder
22:50for Miss Charm
22:51here in England.
22:52But she says that
22:53beauty patterns
22:54aren't just about being
22:55the slimmest,
22:56tallest or prettiest,
22:57but the most confident.
22:59Chloe Brewster has the story.
23:01There's only two types
23:03of people in the world
23:05The ones that entertain
23:07and the ones that serve
23:09Well, baby,
23:10I put on a show
23:12kind of girl
23:13Don't let the backseat
23:15gotta be fun
23:16From the Diehl countryside
23:18to the runways of L.A.
23:2019-year-old Charlie
23:21has spent the majority
23:22of her life in full glam
23:24and now she'll represent the UK
23:26in a coveted international beauty pageant.
23:29I've been competing
23:30in beauty pageants
23:31for 13 years now
23:32and the current one
23:34I'm doing now
23:34is called Miss Charm.
23:36I'm the current
23:36Miss Charm United Kingdom
23:38and I'll be heading over
23:38to Vietnam
23:39at the end of the year
23:40to compete for the Miss Charm title.
23:42I love it.
23:42I've been to so many
23:43different cities and countries.
23:45It's been the same
23:46and I've met so many people
23:47that I'm still in contact
23:48with girls internationally.
23:50I think for Vietnam
23:51we're going to need
23:52I think we worked out
23:53to be like 90 outfits
23:54that we're going to need
23:55which is probably too much
23:56but you can never have
23:57too many outfits.
23:58I'd rather have too many
23:59than not enough
24:00because then otherwise
24:01you start to panic
24:01if you don't have enough outfits.
24:03As well as an incredible wardrobe
24:05judges look at poise,
24:07interview confidence
24:07and work for charity.
24:09I've raised for quite a few charities
24:11including Together for Short Lives,
24:13Copperfield,
24:14Mind Mental Health Charity.
24:15I've raised about
24:16over £40,000 for charity
24:18in the past
24:19well, 13 years
24:20I've been doing pageants now.
24:21I think a lot of people
24:23judge it wrong.
24:24I think they all think
24:25it's about looks
24:26and it's about your weight
24:27or how tall you are
24:29or how petite you are
24:30but it's not about that.
24:32You can build so much confidence
24:34from pageants.
24:35I've been like a little girl
24:36to now.
24:37There is a lot of jealousy
24:38that comes with it
24:39especially online
24:40but you just kind of
24:41have to push that to the side
24:42and be like
24:42this is a massive achievement
24:44of what I'm doing
24:44and now I look back at that
24:46and I think
24:46well, look where you are
24:48and look where I am
24:48like, you know.
24:49But how do you train
24:51for something like this?
24:52So what does it take
24:53to become a pageant queen?
24:54Okay, so first
24:55you need to work
24:56on your walk
24:56and your poses
24:57because they are key
24:58for on stage.
24:59So obviously
24:59when you did the T pose
25:00at the start
25:01and then when you're walking
25:02maybe add a little bit of hip
25:04a bit of like, you know, fun.
25:06When you get to the middle
25:07same pose
25:08and if you want to go
25:09into the side pose
25:10your front leg
25:11you can just go to the side
25:12and put all your weight
25:13onto that leg
25:14and then that foot
25:15you can put like on a point.
25:17I decided to give it a go.
25:21I think I'll leave
25:23the strutting to Charlie.
25:25Chloe Brewster
25:26for KMTV
25:27in Zeal.
25:29Great piece
25:30from Chloe there.
25:31Next,
25:32Faversham
25:32sees an extension
25:33of their very own
25:34luxury cave hotel
25:36submitted
25:36with plans looking
25:37to cost millions
25:38of pounds.
25:39The resort
25:40would see a 36-bed hotel
25:42and spa
25:42alongside five holiday lodges
25:44with the council
25:45now receiving documents
25:46to explain the new plan
25:47with the key idea
25:48being to grow
25:48the economic potential
25:49of the resort.
25:50The cave has seen
25:51various celebrities stay
25:52and the plan changes
25:53only look to improve
25:54the various facilities
25:55like an outdoor spa
25:57terrace also being pitched.
26:00Now,
26:00the weather.
26:06This evening
26:07we see general temperatures
26:08of five and six degrees
26:10across the centre
26:11of Kent winds
26:11going north-west
26:12across the county.
26:13into tomorrow morning
26:15now.
26:16It's looking around
26:1610 and 9 degrees.
26:18Lots of sun.
26:18Some of that wind
26:19changing direction there.
26:20And we go into
26:22tomorrow afternoon.
26:23All that lovely sun
26:24staying there.
26:25Getting a bit hotter now.
26:2515 degrees.
26:26Highs of 16 in Dartford.
26:28And here's your outlook.
26:29It's looking like rain
26:30after that nice sun.
26:31Getting slowly colder
26:33as we work our way
26:34towards the weekend lows
26:35there of 11 degrees.
26:45Well, that's all the time
26:46we have.
26:47You've been watching
26:47Kent Tonight
26:48live here on KMTV.
26:50And as always,
26:51there's more news
26:52made just for Kent
26:53throughout the rest
26:54of the week.
26:55Thank you so much
26:55for watching
26:56and we'll see you soon.
26:56KMTV.
27:00KMTV.
27:07KMTV.
27:15KMTV.
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