Plans to turn a Kent pub run by the the wife of celebrity baker Paul Hollywood into a home have been approved.
The proposals for The Chequers Inn in Smarden were given the green light at a council meeting, despite opposition from residents.
Also in today's podcast, Kent Police is being accused of failing to properly investigate abuse at a former children's home on Romney Marsh.
Youngsters were allegedly subjected to daily violence at the Sandyridge site, run by Denis and Anne May.
They were arrested in 1996 - but were never charged and have since died.
A family have been forced to move to another home after being subjected to a campaign of harassment and abuse by their neighbour.
A court heard how Michael Atkinson from East Malling threatened violence and made racist comments.
The 37 year-old from Chapman's Way has been locked up for 27 weeks and given a five year restraining order.
Parents in Sittingbourne say they're shocked after a blade was found in a children's play area.
A group of youngsters were playing in the sandpit at Milton Creek Country Park when the discovery was made.
Sam Lawrie's got details on everything going on in Kent.
And in football, Bradley Dack has returned to Gillingham.
He left seven years ago after scoring 31 goals during his time at Priestfield.
The 30 year-old - who's married to former Love Island star Olivia Attwood - has now signed a new contract with the Gills.
This is the Kenton Line Podcast, Nicola Everett. Hello. Hope you're OK. On Friday, August the 16th. Thanks so much for downloading today's podcast. This is one of our most read stories on the website right now. Plans to turn a Kent pub run by the wife of Celebrity Baker Paul Hollywood into a home have been approved. The proposals for the checkers in in smartn were given. The green light at a council meeting this week, despite concerns from local residents. Now it's believed the family have invested £80,000 into the business, but a lack of football means it's simply no longer sustainable. Melissa Hollywood spoke at the meeting. Unfortunately, the pub cannot survive on people drinking once or twice a week. It needs a steady flow of locals using it regularly for meals and other social activities. Unfortunately, the last six months have shown us the worst in people's behaviour. The personal insults and attacks have been unforgivable. We have owned and run the checkers in for nearly 17 years and put our heart and souls into it. Ask yourself, would you work a 12 to 16-hour shift every day just to make a loss? And would you do it if you were 80 years old with a life-threatening heart condition? Leah Randolph from Smarden Parish Council would prefer the building to stay as a pub. First and foremost, the checkers is a business and it should be valued and sold for its worth as a business. An industry expert who specialises in value and pub said that the accounts show that run differently, the checkers could prosper as it has in the past. Three separate people have put forward substantial offers to buy the checkers. None have been accepted because the owners want more. And to get more money, they want the Barra Council to turn a grade to 14th-century heritage asset into a resident. Now, the Council Committee voted 7 to 5 in favour of the conversion the owners will have several years to carry out the changes. Can't online news. A Canterbury woman who's accused of murdering her husband is to undergo a psychiatric assessment before her trial. Maureen Rickards was arrested after human remains were found at her home in St Martin's Road last month. A 50-year-old who hasn't yet entered a plea will face a high court judge next February. A nine-year-old girl who died in a bus crash in Bexley Heath has been named as Ada Bikaki. Her five-year-old brother was also taken to hospital after it happened on Watling Street earlier this month. Ada's family say she was a King gymnast and swimmer. And her organs have been used to help six other children. The bus driver was arrested and is on bail. A man's been jailed for his part in an attack on a homeless man in Ramsgate. The victim was chased and assaulted before the pair also punched a woman to the ground. Josh Saya, who's 22 and from Queen's Avenue in Margate, has been locked up for 18 months. A complex got a suspended sentence. Now, Kemp Police is being accused of failing to properly investigate abuse at a former children's home on Romney Marsh. youngsters were allegedly subjected to daily violence at the Sandy Ridge site run by Dennis and Anne May. They were arrested back in 1996 but never charged and have since died. I've been speaking to Dr Raymond Stevenson, who's representing the victims. After 10 years ago, we received claims of child abuse in Lamb of Children's homes. But some of the people who came forward were saying they were also sent to a children's home in Kent called Sandy Ridge. And even though we were investigating abuse in Lamb of, we decided to investigate this case. And within a couple of years, we've had numerous people come forward all given independent accounts of sexual abuse at the home. What were the victims saying to you had happened to them while they were at Sandy Ridge? We investigated many claims after 2000. But this was unique in some respects because the abusers were abusing across the board. Girls, boys, black children, whatever child came in that home was subject to sexual abuse. And the accounts of the abuse were horrific. Kent police have today issued a very lengthy statement based on their review of an investigation that took place back in the '90s. And they said the CPS said there wasn't enough evidence to bring convictions and what have you. And subsequently, everybody involved who was accused of carrying out the abuse from my understanding has now passed away. What does that mean that you can do going forward? Because I'm hearing that you want to take action against Kent police. Is that right? Firstly, there's one person, one perpetrator still alive. And we're saying the police should pursue that person. It sounds an incredibly complex case, but I'm assuming victims, they just want some form of justice. Don't they? What are they saying to you at the moment? What do they want to happen? Half of the victims or three quarters have received compensation. So their demands are to know about the police failure to follow up leads, as they said. And this is not about compensation, it's about the truth. Obviously, Sky News have done a huge amount on this today, which is obviously why we've picked it up and why we're chatting to you. How do you think it makes the victims feel when they do hear it all again on the news? And obviously, it brings back those awful memories of what they went through. You know, it's a really interesting question. And we're very mindful when we persuade people to come forward. And first of all, we need to make sure we've got all the facts. And we need to make sure that emotionally they're ready. So Sandy Rich wanted to tell their story three years ago. And we weren't comfortable about going to the media. And that wasn't just because we needed to get all the evidence. It's because we needed to make sure everyone was emotionally strong enough. And we'd learned that from Shirley Oaks that you have to really, it's about timing. It's about making sure that you can prove conclusively that these people were abused. And, you know, once you've got compensation in a way, it's a way of showing the public that hold on. These are real victims. They've already been compensated. We don't have to establish whether this happened. Now, let's look at the trauma. It is beset on them. Now, let's look at the failures. The victims, they live with this for their whole lives. They learn to live with it, but it never goes away. Does it? What happened to them? Absolutely. Look, we've interviewed and take statements from, as I said, hundreds of people. And the impact is the same. Some people bury it, but it affects their life still. Some people live it every single day. And hence the reason they consume drugs to try to nullify the effects of the abuse. Some people are angry, forever angry. That means they go on to damage the wider community. So the psychological damage affects everyone. And even the people who come forward, we bring everyone. Before the peace come out, we've rung them after the peace has gone out. And we look after them all the way through the process. But the most recognisable feeling that coming off the phone with them is at last. At last, we've got our bit out. And that's also part of the healing. Eventually, people speaking out and being able to say their piece once and for all and being believed is part of, you know, people getting over this. But the final justice has to be the police. They messed up big time. And that led to people committing suicide and people taking their own lives. So effectively, they got blood on their hands. And they can't just walk away with an apology. We fail to follow up leads. Especially when all the indicators are saying you deliberately fail to follow up those leads. Kent Police have issued this statement. Between 2017 and 2022, Kent Police carried out a full and exceptionally thorough investigation into reports of abuse at a children's home in Great Stone. Between 1978 and 1996, the investigation was long and complex involving meticulous analysis of evidence, including multiple victim statements, witness accounts, and key documentation relating to the period of time in question by diligent and dedicated police investigators throughout the process. Detectives communicated regularly with victims to offer support and to update them as the case progressed. As part of their inquiries, officers revisited a comprehensive and detailed 1995 investigation into similar reports of offences at the home. Following that initial detailed investigation by Kent Police of all available evidence, a case file was presented to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration of charges. However, the CPS decision on the 29th of October 1996 was that this could not progress to a charge, as there was no realistic prospect of conviction and there were issues around a lack of corroborative evidence. An action raised in the 1995 investigation to obtain a statement from a key witness had been cancelled due to the individual suffering from a terminal illness. This person died shortly after the conclusion of the 1995 investigation. In March 2019, during the later investigation, an individual arrested in December 2017 and later released under investigation pending further evidence died. A second individual remained under investigation. Officers continued their work on this highly complex and challenging investigation, including regular liaison with CPS lawyers to ensure no stone was left unturned. However, on the 25th of July 2022, the CPS gave its final decision that due to fundamental weaknesses in the evidence presented to and uncovered by Kent Police, there was not a reasonable prospect of conviction and the case did not proceed to charge. Officers kept all witnesses fully updated and informed as to the progress of the investigation and about the rationale behind the case not progressing to trial. A teenager who armed himself with a samurai sword during a fight in Gillingham has been jailed. Dominic Biali was one of several people involved in a violent clash over drugs on Trinity Road in February. The 19-year-old from Mill Road in Irith has been locked up for three years. If you follow Kent Online on socials or head to the website, you can see pictures of a man police are hunting, following a sex-attacking Canterbury. A woman reported being targeted by a man in the spires near Canterbury West Railway Station on July 19th. Police believe the person in the picture can help with their investigations. A man has been arrested after a hoax call about a suspicious package near the Port of Dover. Snargate Street was cordoned off by police while they searched the site yesterday. A 52-year-old man is in custody. A family have been forced to move to another home, after being subjected to a campaign of harassment and abuse by their neighbour. A court has heard how Michael Atkinson from East Malling threatened violence and made racist comments. The 37-year-old from Chapman's way has been locked up for 27 weeks and given a five-year restraining order. Fix him at Martina Chapman. Clegg has been speaking to our reporter, Alex Langrich. It had a huge impact on myself, whether that be my confidence, being able to go to the shop with my family and feel safe, not having to look over my shoulder constantly. Michael actually got hold of my phone number and contacted me directly and threatened me, telling me I needed to take down my CCTV camera, which obviously was there for protection. It was almost like an obsession. He was obsessed with harassing us as a family. It's still hard to talk about it now because although he's been sentenced and although he's got the custodial sentence, which is what he deserves, the long-term effects of now having fear installed into you is massively affected our mental health as a family. You read about it in the news and things like that, like neighbours from hell, but you don't expect to experience it. And not on the level and the continuous level, but it was the violent threats and the persistence and everything that happened. And the acts that were carried out, having to watch your car being urinated up against and continuous threats every single night, it was just relentless. So it's massively impacted us as a family. And although we've been moved now, we're still locking our front doors and we're still locking our windows and things. And hopefully with time now that we have the restraining order as well for five years, that will hopefully just dissipate eventually. Dozens of people are set to be fined or taken to court after being spotted dumping rubbish at a recycling point in Northlete. Offenders were captured on CCTV, leaving household waste, furniture and tires at Morrison's on Cold Harbor Road. Most of the 35 people will be told to pay a £1,000 fine, with more serious action taken against large-scale flightippers. A popular wistable restaurant has carried out a deep clean after being criticized by inspectors. They found a significant risk to public health at Shabab on the high street. Concerns were also raised over how food was stored. The venue was voluntarily shut for improvement works and bosses are hoping to improve on their one-star rating. A kid mum has issued a warning after her son suffered a cut to his hand from a cracked iPad screen. TJ was taken to a pharmacy in Broadstairs to be checked over after it happened while he was playing Roblox. The crack had appeared a couple of weeks earlier and got worse while he was swiping on the game. Apple have been in contact with the family to wish TJ a speedy recovery. Parents in Sittingborne say their shock after a blade was found in a children's play area. A group of youngsters were playing in the Sam Pitt at Milton Creek Country Park when the discovery was made. So he Bonnet and Nelson Osborne were there with their children. At first we thought it was a toy knife or some sort of thing that's just been lobbed in there from the pound shop or something. It wasn't until the kids picked it up. You could see it was a real proper knife but was also stained at the bottom of a bit of rust. But it was just really scary more than anything because children that play in there, they're so little. If they sat on that knife or even if they cut their self-worths on it, they roll around in their stomachs all the time and it was only in a sand about that deep. So I think that's what makes it even more scary. And also it's just such a nice park. It's such a family community park and there's never any sort of crime here or drugs or eggs. There's nothing. So the fact that a knife so big like that has been found in the kids' park is just really scary more than anything. A knife looked like it had been used because there was about an inch and a half of rust was front end. Obviously that was right in the middle of the sand pit and it weren't really a nice feeling at the time. A kid saying that they found a knife in the sand pit when the children were playing. It gave me bad flashback for living in London when I was younger if I'm honest and I didn't really expect that to be in this sand pit. Well, Council bosses have condemned whoever left it there and insist regular inspections and clean-ups take place. The knife was handed in to police. Kent Online News. And details on everything going on in Kent this weekend is Sam Laurie. It's looking like another beautiful summery weekend is ahead of us. And there's plenty going on in Kent to help you make the most of the next couple of days. It's a jam-packed weekend at Dreamland in Margate as the town's summer series continues, starting with a concert by singer-songwriter Paloma Faith Tonight. The artist is celebrating her sixth studio album with a UK tour and will perform her biggest hits at an outdoor concert this evening. Then on Saturday, New Zealand funk group Fat Freddy's Drop will headline a one-day reggae and soul festival. And on Sunday, the bootleg Beatles tribute band, albeit Dreamland's indoor venue, The Hall by the Sea, to recreate the Fab Four's greatest hits. Also, this weekend, the Handbae Jazz Festival returns to the seaside town, with lots of gigs in pubs and on outdoor stages all over Handbae. There will also be music workshops, DJ sets and parades until Sunday. And if you're a big fan of classic rock, a new day festival will be at Mount E-frame near Faversham, with bands from the 60s to the 90s, from today until Sunday. This year's headliners include Tangerine Dream, Hawkwind and Fida, and there will also be real L-bars and food stalls. Now, you can make the most of the nice weather with some outdoor theatre this weekend. Chapter House Theatre is bringing its production of the Family Fairy Tale Beauty and the Beast, to Belmont House near Faversham on Sunday, and on Monday, immersion theatre are performing Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in the Gardens of Canterbury Cathedral. There's also still time to book tickets for the Rocky Horror Show, starring Jason Donovan, which opens at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley on Monday, but that one is strictly for grown-ups only. If you're more of a movie fan, some classic films are being shown on an outdoor screen over the weekend. Adventure Cinema, the UK's largest open-air cinema, is at Cobham Hall in Gravesend until Sunday, showing some nostalgic favourites like Back to the Future, and sing-along musicals including Mama Mia and The Greatest Showman. And finally, for a great family day out, you can head to Vidded and Tractorfest, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The Farming Festival will boast more than 200 vintage tractors, classic cars, steam engines and agricultural machinery, as well as stalls selling food and drink from local producers, an arena with dog shows and vehicle demonstrations, children's workshops and falconery displays. The festival will be at Holden Farm near Ashford on Saturday and Sunday, and there are still some tickets left online. The summer never seems to slow down, and there's still plenty of brilliant days out to come over the next few weeks, but I think that's enough for this weekend. And whatever you get up to, I hope you have a lovely couple of days. Ken's Online Sports For Ball and Bradley Dak has returned to Jillingham. He left seven years ago, after scoring 31 goals during his time at Priestfield, a 30-year-old who's famously married to former Love Island star Olivia Atwood, has now signed a new contract with The Jills. There had been an awful lot of rumours about us coming back to the club, and he's been speaking to their media team. I can't wait to get going, to be honest. Obviously, there's been a few rumours over the past few weeks. Lots of moving parts, but we've got there in the end, and I'm buzzing to be back and just want to help this club get promoted. That's what I'm here for, and that's what I want to do. Once you knew Jillingham were interested, was there really any other option that appealed to you significantly more? Of course, it was a lot of nostalgia around the football club, obviously, growing up here and being here from a young age and then obviously moving on. Listen, I've had a couple of bad injuries throughout my career, which probably hampered it a little bit. So, listen, when I knew there was interest, it was something I definitely wanted to listen to. Obviously, there was a few other clubs in higher leagues that we spoke to. But, yeah, I think we kind of got there in the end where we needed to be, and it's nice to be back. I'm sure every fan is going to ask you the same question. Is Dakli ready? Is he fit? Is he match fit? So, your answer would be? I wish I was. But, yeah, I'm listening. I haven't trained since the last training session of last season, which was the beginning of May. So, it's done my work in the summer, my office season plan. But, yeah, I'm not ready to go into four fixtures yet. Probably going to need two or three weeks of real training to build my fitness up, to get to a level where I can compete on a match day. But, listen, that's something to look forward to, and I'm sure I'll be fit in firing. In terms of injuries, because you've had a couple of very serious injuries. Are you hopeful the worst of that is behind you now? How do you feel when you say it? Yeah, I feel really good. Listen, the last, obviously, I had two knee injuries, and the last one was in 2021. So, it's been, I've had two four seasons, two and a half seasons back. Last year, I think, as well as I wanted it to go, I picked up a little hamstring strain around Christmas. I was out for kind of 10 weeks, which was difficult. But, yeah, other than that, I've been pretty healthy. Been available for a lot of games, just wasn't being picked. So, yeah, I feel like my body's in the right place. I just need to get a match fit, football fit, and ready to attack the league. Chillingham travel to take on Morkham in league two this weekend. It follows their opening day for one victory over Carlisle at Priestville. However, they did go out of the Carabao Cup midweek. Don't forget, you'll be able to keep in touch with all of the action after kickoff at three o'clock on Saturday. 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, direct your email each morning via the briefing. To sign up to that, just head to kentonline.co.uk. And whilst you're on the site today, you can check out the latest review from our secret drinker. Plus, if you search for wherever you get your podcasts for the Kent Politics Podcast, the latest edition is out today. Hope you have a fantastic weekend. We'll be back on Monday. News you can trust. This is the Kent Online Podcast. [BLANK_AUDIO]
