A man's been arrested following reports of a sex attack in Gillingham.
An area was cordoned off by police earlier - hear from our reporter Sean McPolin who was there earlier.
Also in today's podcast, The mum of a boy who died in a hit and run in Folkestone is calling for reforms to the justice system.
Seven-year-old William Brown Jr was trying to collect a football from Sandgate Esplanade when he was struck last December.
Almost 40 fines have been issued to food delivery riders in Canterbury after new rules came into force.
The public spaces protection order bans riders from aggressive driving, dangerous manoeuvres, excessive noise and putting others at risk.
Footage has been released of the moment police arrested a Maidstone man as part of an investigation into half a tonne of cannabis.
A bloodstain found amongst the drugs in a storage container was forensically linked to John Small, 61, from Brunswick Street.
There's been a significant increase in the number of cases of rickets in part of Kent - according to figures seen by the KentOnline Podcast.
122 were recorded in 2019 by East Kent hospitals trust - that had risen to 580 last year.
Cricket, and Kent's Zak Crawley says he'll continue to play aggressively as England take on the West Indies in the second Test.
England have a 1-0 lead after winning by more than an innings at Lord's last week.
This is the Kenton Line podcast. Nicola Everett. Hello. Hope you're okay. Thanks ever so much for downloading today's podcast. On Thursday, July the 17th. And our top story today is the demands been arrested following reports of a sex attack in Jillingham. An area was cordoned off by police earlier. Our reporter Sean McPolen was there. I'm just in Marlborough Road in Jillingham. We're a large police cordon was put in place this morning. It starts at Lock Street and goes all the way down towards the higher street. It's causing a lot of track problems with cars being turned round. The Falcon cafes included in the cordon as well as a large part of the field over the road. Children and parents have been told to avoid the areas they make their way to school while police continue their investigation. Well at Kenton Line you can see pictures from the scene which is near the Great Line's Heritage Park. Police have now confirmed they were called at 545 this morning to report a woman had been raped. A man's been detained and inquiries are ongoing. The road reopened at around 1040. Kenton Line News. Other top stories today in a woman's appeared at Crown Court accused of murdering her husband after human remains were found at a house in Canterbury. Maureen Rickards was arrested last week by police investigating the disappearance of Jeremy Rickards who hasn't been seen since early June. The 50 year old suspect who lives in St Martin's Road hasn't entered a plea yet. That's been reminded in custody. A teenage boy's due to appear in youth court after an attack at the Goodwara engraves end. Two women were injured and police recovered a bladed weapon last Thursday night. Another asylum seeker has died while trying to cross the channel to Kent. A small boat sank yesterday evening sparking a huge rescue operation involving the UK and French authorities. 71 people were saved from the water and taken to Calais. Church leaders have apologised after finding serious safeguarding allegations against a former cathedral choir mastering Kent to be credible. The diocese of Canterbury says they've investigated the claims against Reverend David Marriott who died in 1995. The alleged offences were carried out during his time as headmaster at the Canterbury Cathedral Choir School in the 1960s and later, while a parish priest in wine. More than 200 claims for compensation have been made against Maidstone and Tumbred Wells NHS Trust by the relatives of the victims of David Fuller. He's currently serving two life sentences for the murders of two women and 16 years for the abuse of bodies in hospital mortars with a trust and the department for health and social care have put together a dedicated compensation scheme. Now the mum of a boy who died in a hit and run in Folkestone is calling for reforms to the justice system. Seven-year-old William Brown Jr. was trying to collect a football from Seingate Esplanade when he was struck last December. Stuart Powell, who's 49 and from Dunstle Gardens in St Mary's Bay, fled the scene and has avoided being sent to prison. Well Laura Brown is William Jr.'s mum and she's been speaking to Abby Hook from her colleagues at KMTV. It's been really difficult for us to navigate a life without William. We try and stay focused, try and bring positive things to the table in terms of we're trying to do a petition to change the laws, to extend a hit and run sentence in so things like today wouldn't happen. It would be elevated to a crown court as opposed to a magistrate's. That's what we've been trying to put our energy into. It's really sad but unfortunately they're restricted with the constraints of the current law. That's why we need change. At the moment unfortunately that is how the law stands. What sentence would you have liked to have seen? It's hard because I'm really praying for some restorative justice. There's no sentence that would bring William back or it's just there's nothing really apart from that that could make a positive change. Stuart in prison wouldn't help anyone. So would you say it's really hard to phrase. I don't want to say happy with the sentence but are you pleased with the outcome today? Did you expect it or is it just not about the sentence entirely for you? It's about what's next. Yeah, it's more about what's next and what this can possibly do is shine a light on our justice system and how it needs to form and change needs to come sooner rather than later. No more children or adults need to be left for dead on our roads and this hopefully can shine that light. Hopefully that's the position that we're at as a family really. No punishment is really worthy of the loss of William but if together we could make a change that would be the last in legacy for him. So I suppose for you it's been quite healing to look at our system rather than Stuart in particular and how that can be reformed and changed. Would you say that's been your focus, the system of justice rather than Stuart itself? Yeah, yeah. I think Stuart at the end of the day it was an accident. I think Stuart made some really poor choices so we forgive him. The focus isn't really on Stuart but if he could come alongside us now I think it could be such a powerful message that would hopefully resonate with so many. And what about that decision to flee the scene? That's been a big, a huge part of this and really hard as William's mother to hear that. How do you feel about that moment where he made that choice to flee the scene? Yes, it's incredibly sad. I feel like William was left for dead like an animal. I couldn't even leave a cat, a dog, anybody. So the fact that William was left to die and that Stuart watched is quite alarming. Powell was given a 14-week suspended sentence. Kent Online reports. This is one of our most read stories on the website today. Almost 40 fines have been issued to food delivery riders in Canterbury. After new rules came into force. Now the public spaces protection order, as they're known, bans riders from aggressive driving dangerous manoeuvres, excessive noise and putting others at risk. Anyone caught flouting the rules gets a £100 penalty. Sarah Lockett lives in the city and thinks it should be made clearer. I think there's some confusion about when they're allowed to be here and when they're not allowed to be here. I think that's the main thing because I think I often walk out first thing in the morning and of course there are a lot of deliveries going on and that's not a problem when there are a few pedestrians. But when there are a lot of pedestrians around, then it becomes an issue. So I think some clarity as far as that's concerned would be really helpful. I think any kind of fine is a deterrent. I think the important thing is that pedestrians are protected and given the rights that they should have to walk in what is mainly a pedestrianised area and to feel safe doing so. Again, a lot of visitors to the city and they assume that they're not going to bump into traffic or traffic is not going to bump into them. So I think yes and clarity on that and making sure that people are behaving responsibly whether they're pedestrians, drivers, delivery drivers, whoever, that's part of what the City Council should be doing. Things out today show a slight drop in unemployment in Kent. 39,310 people were claiming out-of-work benefits in the county in May. That's down by 105 compared to the previous month. We've got some several shoplifting stories now on a Ramsgate man's been banned from a number of stores around Fannet, Jason Cousins, who's 46 and from Manston Road to Kiteham's from Tesco on that road on three separate occasions and now can't go into any Iceland, out of your Waitrose in Ramsgate and any Tesco in the whole of Fannet. Meantime a woman's been banned from entering several stores in Sittingborne, 45-year-old Lisa Willett from Grecian Street in Maidstone was previously jailed for theft and did it again after being released so has been sent back to prison. Elsewhere, four people have been charged as part of a crackdown on shoplifting in Canterbury. Food, alcohol and cosmetics have been stolen from stores in the city. And if you follow Kent Online on socials, you can see pictures of two people police want to speak to after reports of shoplifting in Swale and Canterbury. A large amount of medicine was taken from stores in Sittingborne, Herne Bay and Whitstable last month. Kent Online reports. Now footage has been released of the moment police arrested a man as part of an investigation into half a ton of cannabis. Hello fellow, police, is it John? Yes. Okay, just let go of the pump for a second. Okay, at the moment I've got a rescue or suspicion of importation of drugs, okay, and possession of drugs of intense supply. Okay, I will call for you. We'll get to action. You do not have to say anything, it may harm you defensively, you do not mention one question, something you later on in court and if you do so, you may be given the evidence. Yes. So the gist of it is some drugs have been found and you have been forensicly linked to those. Okay. Yeah, okay, okay. My problems are gone. There's enough. Just hanging underneath for me, John. I worry, you're going that way. Yeah, I worry. A bloodstain found amongst the drugs in a storage container was from a sickly linked to John Small from Brunswick Street. Kent Online's been told the cannabis had a street value of up to £2.5 million. More was also discovered in the 61 year old's car. In the boot of the vehicle, just here is a large bag that has to be filled with cannabis blood. That's going to be seized as exhibit AC1, moving around to the near side front seat of the vehicle on the seat and plugged in to mobile phone. That has been brought to air, if they might have switched off, that's going to be exhibit AC/2. And in the sunglasses holder of the vehicle is a large quantity of cash. He's been locked up for a total of four years. Teachers at a Medway school say life will never be the same after a pupil was left with severe brain damage after jumping into the sea. Jack Dolan was attempting a flip into the water off stone pier in Margate when he was injured. The Howard School in Rainham, where the 15 year old studied, has started fundraising to support his family. There's been a significant increase in the number of cases of rickets in a pass of Kent, according to figures seen by Kent Online. 122 were recorded in 2019 by East Kent Hospital's Trust. That had risen to 580 last year. It's a condition that was prevalent in the past, but mostly disappeared in the 20th century. I've been speaking to Dr Julian Spinks, who's a GP in Medway. Well, rickets, who's a disease that was very common in previous times, Victorian times and so on, and we thought we got rid of. But it is now back, and it is a softening of the bones, particularly the end of bones in children, which then go on if you don't treat it to bow, or possibly you can end up not need, or you can get pigeon chest or hidden spinal deformities. And it's caused most of the time by a lack of vitamin D in the body. So is this something that people are born with, or can they develop it? There is a possibility if a pregnant woman is very deficient herself, that the baby will be born with a relative lack of vitamin D. However, in most cases, it's because they're not actually getting enough vitamin D, and the two main ways in which we get it in the UK are from sunlight, particularly between April and September, and from food. And in the case of babies that will mean things like bobbly milk, which has got supplements with vitamin D. Unfortunately, breast milk doesn't. And for that reason, it's recommended that babies who are breastfed have a supplement in their first year of life. How concerned should we be about this increase? And is it hard to pinpoint it on anything in particular? I suppose it's quite easy to say we've had a cost of living crisis, perhaps people aren't eating as well as they should do. We've seen a huge increase in the number of people going to food banks. Is it as simple as that? Actually, diet plays a part. If children are not eating things like oily fish or eggs, or, for example, breakfast syrups often supplements with vitamin D, then that will have an effect. Actually lack of exposure to sunlight can be also a major cause. And it's worse with people who are dark-skinned because they tend to generate less vitamin D. We are, unfortunately, in the UK, quite high up in latitude. And so that means for about half the year the sun's not high enough to make vitamin D. Some people with some medications, for example, for epilepsy and so on, can have a relative lack of vitamin D. And just exclusively breastfed babies, it's one of the few things where breastfeeding is not so good can end up low in vitamin D. Would you be concerned about the increase that we've seen, Julian, or does it sound like a bit of an anomaly to you? Because as I say, this is something that we kind of thought we'd got rid of. Whilst it's still a very small proportion of the population, it is worrying that this is making a comeback. And it's because it's a very preventable condition. It's recommended that children under one who are not having bottle feeds should have eight and a half to 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day. And after one, and onwards, it's 10 micrograms per day. For adults, particularly the elderly take it during the winter months is a good idea as well. And that will prevent this condition from happening. And it's always one of those cases where if we can stop rickets developing, you don't get the bony deformities, which sometimes can be difficult to reverse Kent online news, an area of land behind it, a pub in East Farley has gone up for sale for homes could be built on the plot near the Boolean, which reopened under new management in February after being empty for 15 months. Planning permission will be needed for any new development, but estate agents say it's likely to be granted. meantime, a 600 year old pub that was once one of the Kent's longest running ins has gone up for sale. The Kings head in wind sheep is thought to have stayed open continuously from the 15th century until its sudden closure in 2022. The grade two listed three houses on the market for 425,000 pounds. A new digital model has revealed part of Dover Castle that's been hidden for 800 years. Some of the building was destroyed in a siege during a civil war in 1216. Historians and 3D artists have recreated what it would have looked like as part of a new experience, which opens next week. A heat health alert comes into force across Kent later as temperatures start to soar just in time for the school some holidays. It could hit 31 degrees in the county over the next few days, but we are being urged to keep an eye on vulnerable people, including young children and pregnant women. The yellow alert last from 5pm today until 11 on Saturday night. And Humbay and Sandwich MP Sir Roger Gail has been telling the Commons how he remembers seeing Stevie Wonder playing Tempin bowling. He was welcoming the new representative for Wolverhampton and recalled a visit to the city. Despite being blind, he says a singer was actually quite good. He says he will continue to play aggressively as England take on the West Indies in the second test. England have one-nil late after winning by more than an innings at Lords last week, but the opening batsman says they're not complacent. I think we all are. I think that's why we've been back, especially me over period of time is that I think we're naturally all quite aggressive players and I want to keep back my instincts and that is to be quite aggressive. Like I said, at times you've got to read the game and rein it in in certain times, but naturally it's going to be quite aggressive if we all are. We don't take anyone for granted. They've got some really, really good players who are very capable of taking the game away from us. So we've got to be sharp and perform like we did at Lords. It was a really good performance and we won about that at the beginning. Play is taking place at Trent Bridge and dozens of sports men and women have had their hands cast ahead of the Olympics to raise money for a Kent baby lost charity. World Cup winners are Jeff Hurst, runner Chris Akabussy and dancing on iStar Jane Torville are among the celebs who've taken part. The hands are on show in the crypt at Rochester Cathedral and will be auctioned off after the games for Abigail's footsteps. That's all from us for today. Thanks ever so much for listening. Don't forget, you can follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and threads. You can also get details on the top stories to direct your email each morning via the briefing to sign up to that. You just need to head to kentonline.co.uk And whilst you're on the site today, don't forget to check out our latest, Eat My Words Food Review News You Can Trust This is the Kent Online Podcast. [BLANK_AUDIO]
