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00:28Transcription by CastingWords
00:35Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
00:39I'm Naila Mohamed and here are your top stories on Monday the 15th of June.
00:43Found guilty. A jury comes to a majority decision in the case of a murder in Chatham.
00:49Mark, at the minute you're under arrest for suspicion of murder, okay?
00:53Road to ruin. Ashford community calls for slower traffic to improve road safety.
01:00It's quite frightening sometimes because some kids don't know to look. They're only young.
01:04And finally, Five Acre Woods takes on footy. Special needs school in Maystone plays football child match.
01:12Sessions are so important for our young people. It brings the community together. It gives them life experience.
01:31Now your top story tonight. Mark Jesse has been found guilty of the murder of Charlie Belsham in Chatham.
01:38New body-worn police footage shows the moment that Mark Jesse repeatedly lied to the police saying he had nothing
01:43to hide about the fatal stabbing.
01:45So let's have a look at the events to date.
01:48Up you get. Up you get. I called you out. Come on.
01:53This is the moment that Mark Jesse was arrested for the murder of Charlie Belsham.
01:58On the 1st of November 2025, Jesse confronted Charlie in the basement of a property in Castle Road, Chatham.
02:06This confrontation over a £10 mobile phone is believed to have led to Jesse stabbing the 43-year-old man.
02:15Jesse then fled the scene, taking the knife with him.
02:19Two days later, when police questioned him, he appeared perplexed by this arrest, claiming he heard rumours about the death.
02:46Although Jesse later accepted responsibility for the stabbing, he claimed self-defence during his trial at Maidstone Crown Court, which
02:56lasted seven weeks.
02:58Saying he acted out of instinct when he feared being hit by a hammer.
03:03After over 20 hours of deliberation, today the jury found Jesse guilty of Charlie's murder.
03:10Oh, that's actually there. In that alleyway.
03:14Convicted alongside him was 41-year-old Ashley Robinson, who the jury unanimously found guilty after hearing he drove Jesse
03:22away from the scene and attempted to clear evidence.
03:25A third defendant, Shane Rule, was cleared of any involvement.
03:31CCTV footage shows Jesse and Mr Rule turning their jackets inside out, in what the prosecution called an act of
03:40subterfuge,
03:41which Mr Rule said he had done to avoid detection after being in a stolen car.
03:46Charlie Belgium's family were not in court for the verdict, but in a statement said,
03:52Charles was a wonderful son, kind, thoughtful and full of love.
03:57He brought light into our lives and that light has been cruelly taken from us.
04:03He will be missed every single day for the rest of our lives.
04:11Now conservative turned reform councillor Robbie Lamas has turned his back on his second party within the last 12 months,
04:18now defecting to sit as an independent from Prince Park in Medway.
04:21He told Kent Online that his former party are unserious, unprepared and unfit to govern.
04:27And I'm now joined by the double defector himself.
04:29So Robbie, we have a lot of Medway viewers watching the show and I'm sure they'll want to know exactly
04:35why did you decide to leave reform?
04:37I left reform because, despite their best intentions of some,
04:42they are too unorganised and too dysfunctional to actually govern in a fit sense, in my opinion.
04:50They're not conservative.
04:51I joined reform because they told me that they were a conservative party for people like me that have conservative
04:57values.
04:58And I was told that they would welcome my experience and they would want it to contribute to their party.
05:05But I found that was sadly not the case.
05:08The other reason is that I feel that Kemi Badenoch is really turning things around for the Conservative Party.
05:14How do you think she's turning things around?
05:16A few different ways.
05:18The first thing is on the policy front.
05:20So last year she announced leaving the ECHR, which means that we can do a whole body of things in
05:26terms of helping fix the issues with immigration.
05:29And then more recently she's very carefully started to unpick the Equality Act.
05:33Not the good bits that we all like, but the bad bits which cause lots of problems.
05:39Those two tenets are lower, things that the Conservative Party I didn't think would ever be able to do.
05:43And yet she's done them.
05:44So do we see you going back to the Conservatives and have you been having those conversations?
05:48I mean, certainly one day I would love to go back.
05:51I mean, it's down to them.
05:52I'm under no disillusion though how much I upset people.
05:56I've apologised to a lot of people.
05:57I'll continue going to apologise.
06:00It's not easy admitting when you got things wrong.
06:03I got things really wrong.
06:06But we'll see.
06:07It's up to them.
06:08I mean, I'm always a Conservative.
06:10I'll always be a Conservative.
06:11I never changed my views once.
06:13Well, I mean, you were reformed for eight months.
06:15So you're not always Conservative then?
06:17In terms of my beliefs and the things that I talk about are entirely consistent.
06:22Like I said, I thought that changing party representation would be a way to sort of further the Conservative message
06:30and help bring about Conservative policies.
06:32So would you say you're a party hopper?
06:32Can we see you joining the Greens next maybe?
06:35No, definitely not.
06:36You couldn't even pay me to do that.
06:40And are you just following where the power is, where the population is going?
06:43Are you just following where the viewers are kind of turning their heads to next?
06:46No, this is not a move that directly coincides with popularity in any way.
06:51In many ways, I'm not even sure that this is best for me electorally in this precise moment in time.
06:57Certainly, as you said, double defectors.
07:00The first I've heard.
07:00I hope there's a catch on.
07:01But certainly doing that comes with its misgivings locally.
07:06This is about me standing up for what I believe in and actually saying what is correct and true.
07:11But what do the residents want?
07:13Because when they voted for you as a councillor, they voted for you as a Tory and then you turned
07:17to reform and now you're independent.
07:19So is this fair at all to the residents?
07:21Well, one of the things, being in touch with your ward as I am and being accessible, you sometimes get
07:27random visits at half past 7am on a Sunday when you're still in the dressing gown by residents who want
07:32to talk to you on the doorstep, your own home.
07:35And I had one gentleman who said to me, look, Rob, we'll vote for you no matter what because we
07:38like you and we know you work hard for us.
07:41But we wanted a Conservative.
07:43And then I had another example of a Sikh family I visited.
07:46I'm really sorry, but we don't have that much time anymore.
07:48But thank you so much for joining us today in the studio.
07:51No problem.
07:54Now, Rochester MP Lauren Edwards has shown his support behind the assisted dying bill, calling it one of the most
07:59important, compassionate and empowering changes to health care.
08:03But what do residents think?
08:04Let's have a look now.
08:06That's a tricky one, isn't it?
08:08You know, I mean, yeah, that's difficult.
08:15But I'm in favour of it in certain circumstances.
08:19If someone doesn't have a quality of life, but that opens up a whole other ethical, moral debate.
08:26So, you know, mostly in favour of it, but obviously it would have to be seriously controlled.
08:33So, how are you going to do that?
08:35I don't know.
08:36I feel like that's a bit of a tricky one as well because I feel like, given that it's on
08:40the borderline of what you think is acceptable or unacceptable, I think we probably shouldn't have something like that in
08:45place.
08:45At least that's my opinion as well, coming from a faith aspect, as well, I don't think that's something that
08:49we should be doing.
08:50This seems like an OK middle ground between letting that choice be made by the people and also offering regulation
08:57in the form that it safeguards people against feeling like they're forced into that choice as well.
09:03So, yeah, no, I support it.
09:06And whatever form assisted dying manages to come in, I would probably take it because we are quite restricted at
09:13the moment here.
09:14Now, residents in Newtown Green in Ashford say speeding continues to be a problem for them on a road that
09:19runs between a pub and a nearby children's play area.
09:22So, our reporter Maisie Walker went to go have a look at these claims themselves.
09:26It's quite frightening sometimes when you stand out there and see the kids just run across the road.
09:30Residents of Newtown Green in Ashford say it's not a question of if, but when, as concerns continue to grow
09:36over speeding on the road that runs between a pub and a popular children's play area.
09:41Locals say animals have already been killed by speeding motorists and fears are now rising for the safety of children
09:48who use the nearby park.
09:50The pub's landlord, Gary, who has run the business since 2017, is calling for the speed limit to be reduced.
09:56Gary has said that this stretch of road has become a danger zone during certain hours of the day, with
10:01speeding motorists coming down and children playing in the field opposite.
10:05He says that it's only a matter of time before a child gets knocked over.
10:09It's been going on for a few years.
10:11Yeah, the speed of the cars coming up past the pub, there's a park on the field, so we put
10:19a petition in to get speed bumps put in, but not heard anything back.
10:24I understand that it's been rejected.
10:26And there's not even no signs up for children playing either, so that does recognise, drivers do recognise that.
10:34They see like children playing, but there's nothing at all.
10:38It's quite frightening sometimes because some kids don't know to look.
10:42They're only young.
10:43Kent County Council is responsible for managing public roads across the county.
10:47The authority says those wishing for a speed limit reduction should build local support.
10:52Before a decision is made, whether there is clear evidence a lower speed limit would have an impact on reducing
10:58casualties.
10:59However, many residents believe meaningful action will only be taken after someone is seriously injured or killed.
11:05We did go to KCC and they were very supportive and we asked about a speed indicator device actually outside
11:14the Alfred Arms.
11:15So there flashes up at you how fast you're going.
11:18Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, because of the number of parked cars on that road, the speed indicator device wouldn't
11:26work effectively.
11:27So we've gone back to them and asked what else we could do to work together to investigate traffic calming
11:34measures there, because it is serious and it does need to be addressed.
11:37Kent County Council has said that they were not aware of Gary's petition and they work with local councils through
11:43their Highway Improvement Plan process,
11:45which allows communities to put forward priorities such as speed at certain locations.
11:50As the debate over road safety continues, so do residents' fears that it may take a collision before a change
11:57is made.
11:58Maisie Walker for KMTV, Ashford.
12:01Now it's time for a short break, but we'll see.
15:24Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
15:28New data reveals that Canterbury City Council has lost almost half a million pounds since
15:33higher parking tariffs were introduced. Over the last year, the council has pushed ahead
15:38with increased parking charges in a bid to raise money, but this data shows that this
15:43might have backfired. Almost 200,000 fewer car park trips have been recorded since the
15:48authority introduced its controversial tiered pricing system almost two years ago. But
15:53Labour Council leader Alan Baldock said,
15:55We're always having a review and that the next one will look at the data. We have a successful
16:00strategy on car parking and we'll stick with it.
16:05And today we saw the announcements of a social media ban for children under the age of 16
16:10that will affect Kent and the rest of the country by spring next year. And while politicians
16:15and parents are saying that the ban will go a long way for the development and mental
16:19health of those under 16, the young people themselves worry it will hurt their feeling,
16:23their futures. Finn McDermott has the story.
16:26Here in Kent and across the country, young people will have gone into school this morning
16:30knowing that time is ticking, not just to their first lesson, but on how long they'll
16:35be able to use social media for. Sir Keir Starmer has announced that by next spring, children
16:40under the age of 16 will be banned from TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and
16:44X, excluding messaging based platforms like WhatsApp or Signal.
16:48So here in Kent, what do people make of this sweeping ban?
16:52Yeah, well I agree with it. You know, I think kids are exposed to far too much, way too young
16:56and social media companies are just like, they should be more responsible ethically and morally,
17:04they have an obligation, but they don't seem interested, they're just driven by commercial profits.
17:09The ban, I imagine it's going to be incredibly difficult to enforce, but I believe regulating
17:16that sort of content that young people are exposed to is super important.
17:21I think it's pretty good to be fair, for like, when I was that age as well, I tried to
17:25stay
17:25on social media a bit as well, because there's positive aspects of it, like speaking to your
17:28friends, stuff like that, but also the negative side as well, which is where most kids fall into,
17:33like the negative sides of speaking to people that you probably shouldn't be speaking to,
17:36seeing things that we shouldn't be seeing.
17:38But they won't be the ones who have to deal with the ban, with some young people saying
17:42it should have more regulation for younger users, rather than a complete ban.
17:47I would say lowered, because there is a certain age group that can be like badly affected by social
17:51media, like say like 11, 12, 13, I don't think they should be able to have it, maybe 13,
17:56because that's when you become a teenager, but under that, I don't think they should have it.
18:00You know, there's a new Apple update on your phone, where like younger people can be managed
18:04on the socials and like, they can put like smaller apps for their children to get used
18:08to them and introduce more apps to them, so I don't think it should be banned.
18:12I think they should be like, put more control on it, instead of like depriving all of us
18:16from all the entertainment and stuff.
18:18Here in Kent, some schools have even begun to implement stricter rules,
18:22with Radnor House in Sevenoaks choosing to ban smartphones altogether.
18:25I think there's a hugely addictive element to these algorithms. I think they are completely
18:32designed to try and lure children in, and actually all of us really. We find our willingness to engage
18:38in other tasks goes down as soon as we are trapped in one of these sort of doom scrolling
18:43loops that seems to be prevalent nowadays. And so certainly, I think, whether we like it or not,
18:49the government has a role and needs to provide more support to parents and probably all of us
18:54in managing that sort of addictive nature.
18:58The ban isn't set to come into effect until spring 2027, but while it's being discussed
19:03in parliament and parents' evenings alike, for those in the classroom, they worry it'll
19:07cut them off from the connectivity they're used to.
19:09Finn McDermott for KMTV.
19:13Now, Swell Council has spent a reported £9,000 in legal action to evict Happypants,
19:19an animal sanctuary near Sittingbourne. Amy James, the owner of the sanctuary,
19:24cares for around 300 injured animals. She was given nine months in December 2024
19:28to quit her land in Newington following years of legal action from the council.
19:33Since bird flu hit the county, animals in the shelter are restricted from moving until October
19:38this year. Amy has said that in this time, she's working with her solicitor through a
19:42new planning application, which, if one, Amy will be able to keep her land.
19:49In a bid to expand the nation's forest, residents say plans for a new woodland
19:53area near Ashford are a blessing. Rural villages are concerned with the growing number of housing
19:59developments in the area. Forestry England bought 163 acres of land last year,
20:04sitting between the villages of Smarden, Bethesden, High Holden and Biddenden. The site,
20:09said to be called new Lockhurst wood, is set to become a beautiful space for people to enjoy,
20:13as well as a valuable habitat for wildlife. Initial planting starts as early as this winter,
20:19estimated to be completed in just over two years. And now it's time for the weather.
20:30It's going to be fairly cool tonight with highs of 18 degrees in Medway and Maidstone, 17 degrees in
20:35most of the county, lows of 16 in Canterbury. Into tomorrow morning, Darford and Ashford and Dover
20:40will see an increase to 18 degrees, while Tunbridge Wells and Margate stayed at 17 and partly cloudy.
20:46Going into tomorrow afternoon, temperatures have risen with the highest being 23 degrees in Maidstone,
20:51still cloudy across the county. And your outlook for the week, Wednesday being cloudy with 22 degrees,
20:57Thursday will be warmer, sunny at 26 and Friday will be warmer with some sunshine too at 27 degrees.
21:09And now let's catch up on all the latest sporting news from the weekend.
21:22First up, the Gilles have announced three new signings for the team. The summer transfer window
21:27for football clubs has opened today, and the Gilles have already announced three new signings
21:31for the team ahead of the window, with more to come in the future. James Brophy will be joining
21:36from Cambridge United, Zane Alvarez at only 20 years old will be joining from Brighton and Hove,
21:40and Will Goodwin will be joining from Oxford United. All three are on two-year contracts,
21:45but there's plenty of more deals to come with the Gilles losing 14 players at the end of the last
21:49season,
21:49and are still lacking a senior goalkeeper. Fans will see this players debut in pre-season warm-up
21:54in Dover in July. And more on the Gilles, Priestville Stadium has begun work on a new fan
22:00zone for the stadium to help improve the match experience. The site replaces a former leisure
22:05centre that previously neighboured the stadium, but had stood disused for several years. New drone photos
22:11have released showing the progress on the work so far, with old site cleared and preparations for
22:16construction underway. The zone is set to host various food options, as well as entertainment
22:20for fan events, as well as pre- and post-match shows. And now, Darfur FC's player manager,
22:27Greenhog, has spoken about the team's members and his hopes for them. Ben, pictured on the screen,
22:32recently went into detail on his hopes for the players on his team, including faces old and new,
22:37and what he thinks they'll be able to achieve. He spoke about defender Sam Ododu, who is a homegrown
22:44player from Darfur's youth team and has already been with the team. I knew all along that clubs
22:49were coming in for him and it was very likely he was going to make a move, said Ben. We
22:54managed to
22:54get it over the line in the end. Ben also spoke on new edition Jordan Higgs, saying one thing Darfur
23:00probably needed more of is experience through the middle of the park. I'm really looking forward to
23:05getting Jordan out there and playing. Now in cricket, Kent has managed to come out victorious against
23:12Lancashire were wiped by 140 runs at Blackpool. Player Hassan Mahmoud managed to score a career
23:18best 6-69 in the Rothesay County Championship Division II clash, contributing to the win.
23:25Team boss Daniel Bell Drummond said,
23:27It's a massive victory against a very good team. I'm just grateful that the Knicks carried,
23:32but given the pressure built up over three days, the win was well deserved.
23:36Keith Dudgeon was excellent in the first innings, but he was backed up by the other quick bowlers,
23:40and then Hassan put on a world-class performance today.
23:44And that's all for your sports. But speaking of sports, staff at the special needs school,
23:49Five Acrewood, played against volunteers and members of Stones in the community and
23:53Maidstone United Football Club. The match was about raising money for the school so it can
23:58continue to provide football lessons for students and build their confidence. Our community reporter
24:04Henry Luck went down to see the game. Let's have a look.
24:06It's a special night here at Maidstone's Gallagher Stadium, as this match is about giving the gift
24:14of football to the students of Five Acrewood. This is Heather Henry and in tonight's match,
24:21it's Five Acrewood School versus the staff and volunteers of Stones in the community and Maidstone
24:29United Football Club. Who's going to win? Let's find out. The goal here isn't glory, but raising money
24:38so that Five Acrewood members can enjoy the beautiful game, many of whom have severe and complex learning
24:47difficulties.
24:48Yeah, very important and rewarding. The sessions are so important for our young people. It brings the community
24:56together, it gives them life experience and obviously, well more importantly, they absolutely love it.
25:02Yeah, 100%. So we love having a run around. It's all for the pupils. Every single one of us here
25:07today is
25:07doing it for the children. We want to give them the best that we can, but we do enjoy having
25:13a run around,
25:13especially on a lovely evening like tonight as well. It was an exciting back and forth, but the Stones
25:19were victorious this year, winning 11-7. This event proves that Five Acrewood and the Maidstone community
25:30want to keep the football sessions for students going full time. Isn't it brilliant just having so
25:37many people here celebrating not only football, but actually raising money and it's actually awareness
25:45as well, isn't it? It's awareness for 10 children, 10 young adults and just bringing everybody together.
25:51It's about being part of a community, isn't it? Henry Luck for Kane TV in Maidstone.
25:58And before we go, in case you didn't know, today is Beer Day, which celebrates the UK's national pint.
26:03The event has been held every year since 2015 and takes place on the anniversary of the signing of
26:09the Magna Carta in 1215. One of its clauses sets standards for the measurement of ale across the
26:15kingdom. And to celebrate, Britain's oldest brewer, Shepherd Neame, is giving away a free pint at its
26:21pubs across Kent, but you will need to sign up in advance to get a voucher.
26:27Now that's everything from us and you've been watching Kent Tonight Live on KMTV, where there's more
26:32news made just for Kent throughout the evening. And don't forget you can always keep up to date with
26:37the latest news from across your county by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk. You can also keep
26:43us on your social timelines by liking us on Facebook and following us on Instagram and TikTok. And if you
26:48have a story you think we should be covering, then do get in touch. But that's all from us tonight
26:53and we'll see you again tomorrow evening. Goodbye for now.
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