Episodes
A former cage fighter from Folkestone has been locked away indefinitely after he attacked a stranger in the street.Kiane Trotman, 38, from Foord Road South, was experiencing paranoid schizophrenia when he punched and kicked his victim near the Canterbury Road Recreation Ground in 2023.Also in today's podcast, the new Reform UK leader of Kent County Council has appeared to backtrack on the party's plans to stop staff working from home.Party leader Nigel Farage said he wanted to get people back in the office, after their success in the recent local elections. Hear what Linden Kemkaran has now...
A cancer patient from Faversham says it is her “dying wish” for thousands of people to benefit from the choice of ending their life.Elise Burns is terminally ill and urging MPs to “do the right thing” when voting on the assisted dying bill.Also in today’s podcast, a man who stalked his ex-partner and threatened to burn her house down has avoided being sent to prison. A court heard the 39-year-old from Ashford launched a relentless campaign of harassment that left his former partner living in constant fear.There’s a warning from firefighters as we head into the summer about making sure barbe...
A Sheppey restaurant could lose its licence after an investigation by immigration officers found two workers being given food and accommodation rather than wages.Local democracy reporter Dan Esson has been covering this story about Mems Mezza in Halfway.Also in today's podcast, a report's found improvements in maternity services at East Kent Hospitals.Inspectors visited the QEQM in Margate and Ashford's William Harvey.We've been hearing from the boss of a tech company, who says their surveillance equipment could help wipe out fly-tipping in Kent.WasteWatch technology, which uses AI, has bee...
Cockroaches have been discovered at one of Kent’s top hotels during a food hygiene inspection.The insects were found in several traps in the basement and floating in a pool of water in the kitchen of the luxury hotel in Canterbury.Also in today’s podcast, a prolific thief who stole two bottles of wine says he “went off the rails” after his cousin died in a motorbike accident.He went into a Co-op in Maidstone to steal the alcohol in March despite a court order banning him from entering certain stores in the town.You can also hear from Kent business owners who say their trade more than halved...
A Kent Police Inspector is due to face a misconduct hearing after being found guilty of assaulting a woman.James Beautridge was suspended from duty after the attack in Maidstone in September 2023.Also in today's podcast, a refugee charity's calling on the Prime Minister to apologise for language he used in a speech about immigration.Sir Keir Starmer was laying out plans yesterday to reduce the number of people coming to the UK, and said without new rules we risk becoming an 'island of strangers'. We've been speaking to the CEO of Care4Calais.Businesses in Maidstone have been left clearing u...
The KentOnline Podcast has spoken to two former workers who say they quit the ambulance service after being unable to cope in such a “toxic” environment.South East Coast Ambulance Trust, which operates across Kent, says it does not tolerate inappropriate behaviour but their leadership has been accused of being critical, strict and overbearing. Also in today’s podcast, to mark the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, a Kent mum who has lost three friends is sharing their stories in the hopes of encouraging men to seek support and talk to one another.She’s campaigning for more awareness par...
We now know who has been chosen as the new leader of Kent County Council after Reform UK won last week's local election.The party has 57 seats at the authority and all of those councillors gathered last night to choose who will be in charge.They decided on Linden Kemkaran who was elected last week to represent Maidstone South East.A Kent mum who has been left with long-term mobility issues after breaking her neck has been telling the podcast how she's been denied a Blue Badge.Bev Evans from Wateringbury was badly injured after falling down her stairs in 2020 and now struggles to walk. She's...
A Kent mum fears she could be left homeless with her elderly, ill nan if the council can't find her a property.Nina Darbey has been privately renting her home for six years but the landlord wants to sell up. The 46-year-old has been telling the podcast how she's been unable to find another home she can afford, and is struggling to bid for a council house.In other news, police, firefighters and paramedics have been called after a blaze broke out at a former school in Chatham.Part of the old St John Fisher Catholic School in Ordnance Street was taped off last night. Hear from reporter Brad Ha...
The landlady of a pub in Chatham says allegations of animal neglect against her simply aren't true.It's after pictures posted on social media of several farmyard animals being kept at the Waggon and Hale, went viral. Hear from our reporter Charlotte Phillips who has been covering the story.Also in today's podcast, the Labour leader of Medway Council has been telling us how Reform UK are in for a rude awakening as they take over control of Kent County Council.They swept to victory in last week's local election, winning 57 seats and leader Nigel Farage has already said they'll be looking to s...
A homeowner has issued a stark warning after he says his life was “destroyed completely” by having an HMO next door.The resident in Sittingbourne was stunned to wake up and find scaffolding and the roof missing on the adjoining property in the terraced street.Also in today’s podcast, a mum has branded Medway council “clueless” after it wrongly refused her 17-year-old daughter a parking permit — and then asked for hers back as well.She’d applied on behalf of the learner driver for an additional pass to park outside the family’s terraced home in Gillingham but the authority insisted they aren...