KentOnline
The top stories from the KentOnline news team
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Episodes
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Podcast: Three men go on trial in Kent accused of repeatedly raping a young girl after spotting her alone in a supermarket car park
Wednesday, 16 April 2025
Three men have gone on trial accused of repeatedly raping a young girl after spotting her alone in a supermarket car park.A court's been told the men were 'complete strangers' to the youngster and encouraged her into a car after promising she could have a cigarette.Also in today's podcast, a Kent MP wants to bring in new rules making it compulsory for energy companies to offer social tariffs to vulnerable households.It would mean providers would be forced to offer reduced rates for some groups, including people on benefits or disabled customers.East Thanet's Polly Billington says the fuel p...
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Podcast: Police called to Swan Young Farmers Club in Ashford after animal rights activists target family fun day
Tuesday, 15 April 2025
Police have been called to a farm’s family fun day after animal rights activists targeted the event - with some parents saying young children were “upset”.Officers were pictured at the spring fair in Ashford, as the protesters handed out leaflets promising a “fun-packed tour of your local abattoir”.Also on today’s podcast, a frantic 999 call made after a young man was fatally stabbed in the heart by his girlfriend’s cousin has been played in court.Jack Cadwallader was attacked after a row broke out at a flat in Harrietsham last July. An investigation has found one local authority is sitting...
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Podcast: Fears horror stories of A&E wait times are keeping sick people away from Kent's hospitals
Monday, 14 April 2025
There are fears horror stories from the county’s A&E departments have left many patients afraid to seek urgent hospital treatment.Reports of sick people stranded for hours on trolleys in crowded corridors are having a knock-on effect on local surgeries.Also in today podcast, a drink driver was warned she could be facing jail after admitting to getting behind the wheel while over the legal limit for at least the third time.She was spotted by police at the wheel of her car in Maidstone in February “driving at excess speed” and going in a bus lane.Dozens of Evri couriers are being chased by de...
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Podcast: Topless teenager caught on CCTV wielding knife during fight on Margate seafront
Friday, 11 April 2025
A topless teenager who wielded a knife during a fight along a packed Kent seafront where hundreds of people were gathered has been in court. The brawl erupted between a large group of youths - some carrying weapons - opposite Margate's main sands last summer.Also in today’s podcast, you can hear from Kent Police following an announcement named bobbies are returning to town centres across the county in a major shakeup in policing. It’s part of an effort to tackle anti-social behaviour and dash perceptions the police have “abandoned” communities. An inquest has heard a kickboxer who trained a...
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Podcast: Parents on Sheppey may have to pay for tutors after children were offered secondary school places miles from home
Thursday, 10 April 2025
Parents on Sheppey say they're worried about their children's future after they were offered secondary school places nearly 30 miles away on the mainland.It's because of a lack of secondary space on the island, but now some families say they may have to hire private tutors.Also in today's episode, the podcast has been told part of Kent remains a 'community in crisis', two years after a major cliff collapse.The A256 Galley Hill Road is still shut after a large section crumbled away - with chalk falling onto businesses below.A leading Kent business expert says a new theme park planned for Be...
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Podcast: Plans for 2,500-home estate in Bobbing near Sittingbourne back on the agenda despite opposition
Wednesday, 9 April 2025
Controversial plans for a 2,500-home estate near Sittingbourne are back on the agenda more than six years after they were first suggested.Developers want to put properties on farmland off the Sheppey way in Bobbing and say they've addressed concerns over open space, sports provisions and road links.Also in today's episode, an inquest into the death of a young girl at a music festival in Margate has heard more than 80 people were found with drugs at the event.17-year-old Emily Stokes suffered a cardiac arrest after taking MDMA at the drum and bass festival at Dreamland in June last year.A Ke...
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Podcast: Two men go on trial accused of murdering Samare Gerezgihir in Canterbury city centre
Tuesday, 8 April 2025
Two men have gone on trial accused of murder after another man was stabbed through the heart during an attack in Canterbury.23 year-old Samare Gerezgihir - who was also known as Sammy or Jamyl - died at the scene in a courtyard near the former Nasons department store in the city centre in October last year.People living in two Kent villages fear they could be left without high-speed wifi after a provider announced plans to pull out of the area.Trooli's confirmed a small number of customers on a copper network in Stansted and part of Fairseat will be affected.A Kent dad who's raised tens of ...
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Podcast: Upchurch dad having to "beg" for financial help after undergoing cancer surgery
Monday, 7 April 2025
A dad-of-two who can’t work following major surgery to remove a tumour says he has been unable to secure any financial help during his six-month recovery.The 40-year-old was first told he had cancer last July and applied for personal independence payments before his surgery but says he was told he was not eligible.Also in today’s podcast, a drink-driver who "catastrophically ruined" a teenage girl’s life after causing a horror crash has been locked up. The 21-year-old plumber was double the legal limit from downing four pints in a pub when his car careered into the path of a another vehicle...
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Podcast: Margate mum and her young daughter being driven "mad" in council home with fleas and mice
Friday, 4 April 2025
We’ve heard from a frustrated mum says she is being driven “mad” by fleas and mice in her council home just weeks after moving in.Lucy Day says her three-year-old daughter is so scared of the pests that the pair have been forced to live out of one room at the Margate flat.Also in today’s podcast, an irate woman has appeared in court after she grabbed a wheel wrench from her car boot and attacked a woman - claiming she had parked too close to her vehicle.She’d nipped out to get some lunch for her children when she saw red during an altercation at an Aldi car park in Swanley. You can hear fro...
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Podcast: Kent nurse backs Endometriosis UK campaign for improved education among healthcare workers and A&E staff
Thursday, 3 April 2025
A Kent nurse has backed calls for more education among healthcare workers on a condition that left her in extreme pain.Nicole Scott from St Mary's Island was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2023 following years of being told the problem was 'in her head'.Also in today's podcast, a group who trafficked women to the UK before getting them to work at brothels in Kent have been jailed.Some of the victims were forced to work at sites in Canterbury, Chatham, Dartford, Gillingham, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells.The MP for Dover and Deal is urging the Conservatives and Reform UK to drop their "postu...
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Podcast: Maidstone mum who punched neighbour in row over loud music avoid going to prison
Wednesday, 2 April 2025
A Maidstone mum who punched her neighbour 20 times following a row about loud music has avoided prison...Amie Bray, 31, was living in shared accommodation on Randall Street when she carried out the attack on another woman in November 2023.The man who oversees the police in Kent has published his four year plan.Crime commissioner Matthew Scott says he wants to cut crime, support victims and build trust.Kent tourism bosses have told us their campaign to get international trains stopping in the county isn't over.That's despite news Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group have been given the green l...
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Podcast: Gravesend son who killed dad speaks for first time as he calls for more support for ex-offenders
Tuesday, 1 April 2025
A son who murdered his alcoholic father with a knife in a fit of rage as a teenager after being belittled and goaded by him has spoken out for the first time.Luke Onyett was locked up in 2004 for fatally stabbing body-building champion Michael Onyett after an argument broke out between the “binge drinking” pair – he’s told us about life on the outside. Also in today’s podcast, a water company has admitted its network is in “poor condition” in a village where streams of raw sewage running down the streets are a regular occurrence.Southern Water has acknowledged the system cannot handle the h...
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Podcast: Maidstone carer who stole prescription painkillers from a terminally ill woman avoids jail
Monday, 31 March 2025
The daughter of a terminally ill Maidstone woman whose pain medication was stolen by a carer has spoken out after her sentencing.Lisa Cook's mother was undergoing treatment for breast cancer when she noticed tablets were going missing.Owners of a family-run restaurant in Staplehurst say they are frustrated and disheartened after allegedly falling victim to a large 'dine and dash'.A family of eight have been accused of leaving just £30 for a meal which should have cost almost £300 - we've been speaking to the restaurants regional manager.A reporter for KentOnline has shared her story followi...
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Podcast: Driver claims A20 speeding fines have 'ruined his life' following TfL's temporary speed limit
Friday, 28 March 2025
A driver claims his life has been ruined after getting a ban for speeding on the A20 in north Kent when the limit was changed.A temporary limit was brought in between Crittalls Corner and the Swanley Interchange in October 2023. Thomas Wood lost his job after getting nine fines and a six month suspension.Also in today's podcast, a former gang member's told KentOnline a ban on ninja swords should have come into force much sooner.From August it'll be illegal to own or sell the weapons - we've been speaking to Lennox Rodgers who runs Refocus in Dartford.A grieving dad who's converting a buildi...
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Podcast: Two teenage boys arrested following stabbing in Ashford town centre
Thursday, 27 March 2025
Two teenagers have been arrested following a stabbing in Ashford town centre.It prompted a huge emergency response in the Bank Street area last night where two men were found injured.Also in today's podcast, a Kent politician who has been suspended by his party after a drunken tirade says he's worried about the impact on his future.Reform UK's William Fotheringham-Bray, who was chairman of the Sittingbourne and Sheppey branch, made the video lashing out at another member.The RBLI is hosting it's annual Chairman's Sleep Out in Kent tonight in the hopes of raising money and awareness to tackl...
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Podcast: Only road through Britain's smallest town of Fordwich to shut for almost six months
Wednesday, 26 March 2025
The only road through Britain's smallest town near Canterbury is set to shut for six months.It's so repairs can be carried out on a £1 million Grade II listed house in Fordwich, but there are fears the 6,000 drivers who use the route will be forced onto the A28 Sturry Road instead, causing congestion.Also on today's episode, a new road link between Kent and Essex is a step closer to being built.The government's given planning permission to the Lower Thames Crossing which will connect the A2 with the A13 and includes a new tunnel under the River Thames.Hear from Dartford MP Jim Dickson, Nata...
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Podcast: Margate driver left former lecturer with life-changing injuries in a crash in Ramsgate
Tuesday, 25 March 2025
A drug driver who crashed into another vehicle near Ramsgate leaving a man with life-changing injuries has been sent to prison.The 29-year-old pulled out onto a roundabout on the A256 without stopping and was later found to have cocaine in his system.Also in today's podcast, nearly 400 jobs at Morrisons are at risk after they announced closures, including two in Kent.The Daily store in Tonbridge is set to go along with the Market Kitchen facility in Gravesend.The KentOnline podcast has been told a programme to try and stamp out under age vaping in part of Kent is already showing signs of wo...
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Podcast: Man spared jail after secretly filming his teenage sister-in-law in the shower at a Thanet home
Monday, 24 March 2025
A Thanet teenager has revealed how her life was turned upside down after she was secretly filmed in the shower by her bother-in-law.Andrew Veck, 33, set up his phone to record her in the bathroom - he was later found to also be in possession of indecent images of children.Also in today's podcast, changes to the government's childcare funding due to come into force next month have been slammed by providers in Kent.Eligibility for 15 funded hours extends to children as young as nine months old - and that will rise to 30 hours come September. We've been speaking to Charlotte Roles who's the de...
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Podcast: Emergency crews called to home in St Peters, Broadstairs after woman in her 20s is seriously injured in an attack
Friday, 21 March 2025
A woman in her 20s has been seriously injured in an attack in Broadstairs.Emergency crews were called to Guy Close in the St Peters part of town last night. Hear from reporter Brad Harper who was also there.Also in today's podcast, a former SEN headteacher says becoming a foster carer to children with additional needs has revealed how much parents have to fight for support.Sharon O'Connor used to be in charge at Ripplevale in Deal which was rated outstanding during her time there. She's now helping to launch an app to help other mums and dads.We're being urged to help wildlife in Kent by ta...
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Podcast: 'Ghost town' fears as new-build estate in Dover is abandoned after developer goes bust
Thursday, 20 March 2025
It's feared an unfinished housing estate in Dover could become a ghost town after the developers behind it went bust.29 properties were being built in Maxton, which is just to the west of the town, by Enzo's Homes. Hear from reporter Louis Walker who has been following the story.A Kent MP says a new Netflix drama should be used to educate young people.Adolescence is about a 13-year-old boy who's arrested on suspicion of murdering a girl at his school. Chatham and Aylesford's Tris Osborne was a teacher before being elected last summer and has been speaking to the podcast.Meantime, the MP for...
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Podcast: Masked thieves steal £100k worth of vapes from Kent Wholesaler in Chatham
Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Masked raiders have stolen £100,000 worth of stock from a wholesalers in Medway.At least eight people are thought to have cut their way into the industrial estate unit in Chatham in the early hours of last Wednesday. Hear from reporter Sean McPolin who has been covering the story.Also in today's podcast, a woman who was tied up during a violent robbery in Sevenoaks has described it as an "horrific experience".A man armed with a gun stole nearly £1.5 million worth of jewellery from a property in Parkfield near Wildernesse Golf Club last June.The work and pensions secretary's confirmed person...
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Podcast: 'Gender-neutral uniform' proposed for The Whitstable School following complaints about girls wearing short skirts
Tuesday, 18 March 2025
A Kent secondary school is considering making all pupils wear trousers, following complaints about girls in short skirts.The head of The Whitstable School has sent a letter to parents about plans for a gender-neutral uniform.Alex Holmes states that local residents and businesses have complained about 'inappropriate skirt lengths' particularly when pupils are outside the school grounds.Also in today's podcast, there are calls for a review of the ban on the use of laughing gas, with one Kent councillor saying it's stopping people seeking medical help.Using nitrous oxide for its psychoactive e...
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Podcast: Cocaine addict mum from Ramsgate 'out of it' on school run in Broadstairs had car keys taken off her by stranger
Monday, 17 March 2025
A court has heard a cocaine addict was so “out of it” on the school run that members of the public took her car keys and walked her children to class.Other parents became concerned when he stopped her car in the middle of the road – the judge told her it was one of the worst cases of drug driving he’d ever seen. Also in today’s podcast, you can hear from a GP after a new study laid bare the extent to which Kent’s youngsters have become addicted to nicotine through vaping.A survey of 5,493 pupils at 33 schools in the county showed that around 10% are current vapers.A developer has closed a “...
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Podcast: Ambulance service apologises after Canterbury man left with fractured eye socket has to get taxi to hospital
Friday, 14 March 2025
The ambulance service has apologised after a Canterbury man with a fractured eye socket had to get a taxi to hospital.Lee Newman had been out clubbing with friends at Club Chemistry and was attacked as he walked home.Also in today's podcast, a Canterbury woman who killed her husband then hid his body in their garden has been convicted of murder.A court heard Jeremy Rickards had suffered injuries from weeks of domestic abuse before he was killed last summer. Hear the moment his wife was arrested and from police who's spoken outside court.Two children's centres in Kent that were facing closur...
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Podcast: Car park visits to Whitstable and Herne Bay down by more than 30,000 after fee hikes as council rake in an extra £2.1m
Thursday, 13 March 2025
Car park visits in two Kent coastal towns have dropped by more than 30,000 since “eye-watering” fee hikes were imposed last year. New figures reveal a slump across sites in Whitstable and Herne Bay following the decision to increase hourly rates to as much as £3.70 in April.Also in today’s podcast, a former lifeguard who “violently” shook a toddler he was babysitting and punched his legs and hips has been jailed.He faced a child cruelty charge after he was seen by his then partner hurting the 18-month-old boy in his own home in Sittingbourne in August 2023. A bomb squad has descended on a r...
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Podcast: The identity of a secret Kent millionaire who fled Nazis, lived in Whitstable and left her fortune to charity is revealed
Wednesday, 12 March 2025
The extraordinary life of a secret Kent millionaire has been unearthed following revelations about her amazing generosity which is set to benefit thousands of people across the county.She lived in a modest 1970s semi-detached home in Whitstable but gifted her considerable wealth to numerous local good causes after she died in 2022 aged 98.Also in today’s podcast, Kent County Council transport bosses say they shouldn’t be blamed for roadworks across the county because they’re not their fault. While there seem to be endless traffic jams and road closures in Kent, the authority’s officials and...
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Podcast: Teenager, 16, electrocuted after being chased by armed gang onto railway line at Westgate station
Tuesday, 11 March 2025
Two teenagers have been convicted for their role in an attack on a 16-year-old boy who suffered life-changing injuries after being chased onto train tracks in Thanet.Ted Warne-Harvey was electrocuted after falling onto a live rail at Westgate station.Also on today's podcast, a 12 week inquiry into plans to build thousands of new homes near Sittingbourne gets underway today.The Highsted Park development is made up of eight-thousand-four-hundred houses, and other infrastructure, as well as a new M2 motorway junction and a Southern Relief Road.A Folkestone woman who's in remission after having...
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Podcast: KentOnline investigation exposes serious flaws with Canterbury's anti-terror bollard system
Monday, 10 March 2025
A KentOnline investigation has uncovered serious flaws with the anti-terror system designed to protect the centre of Canterbury.We found bollards that were installed to stop vehicles getting into the pedestrianised zone either weren't working, or could be easily by passed.Hear from reporter Brad Harper and Chris Phillips who's the former head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office.Also in today's podcast, a couple have revealed how they were blindfolded and held for more than two days in Iran after travelling from Kent back to New Zealand.Pete and Janelle O'Keeffe decided to go o...
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Podcast: Owner of Vapeology in Ashford says he spent £300k on his shop in Park Mall only to be given six months to leave
Friday, 7 March 2025
A business owner who spent £300,000 renovating his town centre shop is calling for compensation after being ordered to leave.He says he used his life savings to the store in Park Mall, but council say the whole mall will be demolished early next year to make way for a car park - and has given all traders six months to leave.Also in today’s podcast, you can hear about a drunk partygoer who stole a woman’s Mercedes before crashing it into a tree, fence and wall - causing thousands of pounds of damage.The smash left a trail of destruction in Broadstairs but by the time the officers arrived on ...
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Podcast: Folkestone and Hythe District Council lost £4.4m on scrapped Princes Parade development in Hythe
Thursday, 6 March 2025
It's been revealed more than £4 million worth of taxpayers' money was spent on plans for a new development near Folkestone which never materialised.Bosses in the previous administration wanted to build 150 homes and a leisure centre at Princes Parade in Hythe, but the proposals were later scrapped. Hear from Jim Martin who is the current leader of the council.A Kent homelessness charity's revealed a 21% increase in demand for their services in the space of a year.Footfall at Catching Lives in Canterbury has gone up from around 11,000 in 2023, to more than 13,300 last year. We've been chatti...
