Catch up on all the latest news from across the county with Finn Macdiarmid.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
00:26I'm Finn McDermid and here are your top stories on Wednesday 28th May.
00:32Murder Verdict, jury finds Stephen Castle guilty of killing Wayne Woodgate near Tunbridge
00:37Wells.
00:39Plaguing our communities, North Fleet residents battle to remove troubled estate management
00:44firm.
00:45And the burger debate, how do you take yours?
00:48Rochester shares its favourite hamburger toppings on National Hamburger Day.
00:53But first tonight, a builder from Matfield who joked cold-heartedly with police about
00:58a missing grandfather just hours after killing him has been convicted of murder.
01:03Today a jury unanimously found 59-year-old Stephen Castle guilty of murdering Wayne Woodgate following
01:09a chance encounter between the pair in Tunbridge Wells.
01:12Gabriel Morris reports, and a warning, this report does contain distressing content.
01:19I think he was a man who, as I said, is larger than life. He was a socialite. He was the
01:29man who kept us together. And when we weren't together, he brought us together.
01:33CCTV footage showed victim and killer crossing paths in Tunbridge Wells just hours before
01:40the murder. Both men knew each other. Stephen Castle later told police he blamed Wayne Woodgate
01:47for tipping off officers in 2015. A raid on his home uncovered firearms in the loft, landing
01:53him a prison sentence. Nine years on, Castle spotted Mr. Woodgate in town. That sighting triggering
02:01a rage the court was told. Jurors heard how Castle launched into an abusive confrontation,
02:07then took Mr. Woodgate back to his home in Matfield, where he murdered him. He dumped the
02:1354-year-old's body in undergrowth in East Sussex, then went to a local pub with a workmate.
02:19We're going to be arresting you today. Okay, so on suspicion of a kidnap. Police arrested
02:25Castle later that day. He denied knowing anything about Mr. Woodgate's disappearance.
02:31Where is Wayne now? I don't know where Wayne is. Okay. Is he safe?
02:37No, no, no, no. He was with me left, didn't he? He's under my bed, in my flat.
02:44Sorry? He's under my bed in my flat. Who is? Wayne, in the suitcase.
02:48He's not. Okay. But after his release on bail, Castle borrowed a friend's car,
02:54returning to the scene where the victim was dumped. He tried to hide evidence,
02:58but officers re-arrested him on the 22nd of October on suspicion of murder,
03:03omitting manslaughter but denying murder, claiming he didn't mean to kill or cause serious harm.
03:10Today, the jury unanimously found Castle guilty of murder.
03:14Evil is in the streets and you never know what it creeps up. Our children's innocence has been taken
03:23away. They have to grow up with the knowledge that their grandfather was killed in the most
03:29horrific way. And we have to deal with that. We have to learn how to navigate that. We are
03:34learning as parents and it's not clear to us at this stage how to approach that.
03:38He now faces life behind bars. He'll be sentenced on the 26th of June where Judge Julian Smith will
03:47set the minimum term before parole can be considered. Gabriel Morris for KNTV in Maidstone.
03:56A big story there that we'll bring you more on as we get any more developments. Now, anger in North
04:02Fleet as residents on the Spring Head Park estate look to remove the estate management company accused of
04:08plaguing new builds across the country. The local MP has joined calls to remove first port over
04:13accusations of exponential charges, poor maintenance and a lack of transparency. But the management
04:19company says all the money they take is used for work on the estate. Our local democracy reporter,
04:23Ollie Leader, has been speaking to those demanding change. Spring Head Park. On the surface,
04:30it may seem like the perfect place to raise a family. But for some,
04:36this North Fleet estate is far from paradise. There's litter and dog mess that's not being
04:44collected in the parks. There's smashed apparatus, you know, broken swings which haven't been fixed for
04:51over a year now. Start of this year, they sprung on us a maintenance adjustment which meant that we all
05:00were surprised with a £600 maintenance fee where we had a month to pay it just before Christmas.
05:08And it's just slowly got worse and worse and we're paying more and more money for what seems to be
05:13less work. And it just doesn't make you very proud to go into the park. We avoid going into these parks now.
05:20The maintenance of the estate is managed by First Port on behalf of developer Vistry. But having been
05:30charged thousands of pounds over the last three years they've lived here, the couple are now working with
05:39the local MP to take matters into their own hands. First Port have been plaguing communities and new
05:49housing communities across the country. And again, this comes back to a lack of care and management
05:55for the residents. Now, under right to manage, which is where you need 50% of the residents on this estate
06:02to agree to. This is hence why there's a petition. This means that the residents will have the right
06:07to decide how that money is spent and will be able to choose their own management company to upkeep the
06:14area. But the survey being spearheaded by the MP is complicated by the fact that different sections of
06:23the estate are run by different developers. This makes it difficult to work out how many
06:31people they need on board. Developer Vistry has been contacted for comment, while a spokesperson for
06:40First Port say they share estimated maintenance budgets with homeowners in advance, assuring that
06:49service charges are not a revenue stream but are allocated to ensure the smooth running of the property.
06:58There is no specific end date for when the petition needs to be submitted. Until then, homeowners here
07:07will be left to pay the price, whatever that may be. Olly Leader in Northfleet.
07:16Now, a Medway hygiene charity says people are being forced to choose between eating and buying
07:22menstrual products, all because of the cost of living crisis. Now, on Menstrual Hygiene Day,
07:27organisations are working to change that. This year's theme, Period Friendly World,
07:32calls for collective action to ensure menstruation doesn't limit access to education, healthcare or
07:39opportunity. Emma Thomas, who's from the Hygiene Bank in Medway, joined us on the Kent Morning Show
07:45earlier today. Now, we will hear from her in just a moment. But first, we asked people in Rochester,
07:51do they think there's enough access to menstrual products?
07:54I haven't seen menstrual stuff off the dim bathrooms, no, not really.
07:58Well, yeah, I've never seen them in a bad person in public.
08:01I've only ever seen it, like, when I was at school. I've never seen it out in person.
08:06I suppose you go to most of the chemists, but from my experience, a lot of people will Google
08:12where it's best to get the cheapest products. Pharmacy, I think, probably, but that's the only
08:16place I'd really go to get one. Yeah, like pubs and cafes and stuff. But I carry my own,
08:22so I don't really use them that much. Oh, yeah, I carry them all myself, and yeah,
08:26I always come together. And they will not buy stuff for themselves if they can't afford it.
08:34My daughter, I would say, actually, I would say, yes, that it is sometimes out of people's reach,
08:42you know, especially the lower-income people, and it's a necessity.
08:46Yeah, these products are sadly becoming a bit of a luxury for some people,
08:51and there is, as you said earlier, stigma around some people get embarrassed about it,
08:55but we really need to have the open conversation that people are being forced to go without these
09:00essential products, and they shouldn't be a luxury for everyone. It's just not right in 2025.
09:06And have you seen people not being able to afford products increase recently?
09:11Yeah, there's a huge need for it here in Medway. We hear more and more from the schools that we work
09:16with and the organisations that we're supporting that people simply don't have access to these
09:21products. It's heartbreaking, and we hear stories of some young people missing school
09:25or improvising with unsafe alternatives, as they can't afford pads or tampons.
09:30And tell us a bit more about what your hygiene bank does. Of course, a lot of it is menstruation
09:36products, period products, but it's other sort of hygiene products as well.
09:40That's right. So the hygiene bank Medway, we collect and distribute hygiene products and cleaning
09:46products. We work with a network of local community partners, which includes schools,
09:51other organisations, other charities, family hubs in the area, who are working with those in the
09:56community that are struggling. And our community partners have to distribute these products to make
10:03sure that no one has to choose between food and their dignity. And period product, period poverty
10:08is a key focus for us as so many people, especially young girls, are facing this every day.
10:14And why do you think this is such a prevalent issue? Why is it happening in the first place
10:18when many people, as you said, would take period products and hygiene products for granted and think
10:24this is an absolute necessity? This is not a luxury. Many people would think that and would be
10:28shocked to hear that so many people don't have that access. So why is that something that's
10:35being compromised on whatever level, whatever sort of issue there is here with the financial
10:40side of this? But it seems sad that this is the hygiene and our health that we're compromising.
10:48Well, the cost of living crisis has a massive effect and push more families and individuals into
10:52hygiene property in general. They're forced to having to make the choice between their rent,
10:57their food, etc. And they can go without these basics, like period products and cleaning and
11:05shampoo, the other basics. They can go without them, but they shouldn't have to. So they're forced
11:10to making the choice. People suffer in silence, and that's something we're trying to change,
11:15that the products are there, people need it. They haven't got to ask for them.
11:19I've got to say, it does, for whatever reason, it is somewhat embarrassing or sometimes there's a
11:24stigma attached, but there shouldn't be. A very important issue there that I'm glad we could
11:29cover. Now, coming up, we'll speak to a local Strood resident whose four-year wait for a dropped
11:35curb at his home has finally paid off. And we'll also be seeing how people in Rochester are planning on
11:42celebrating National Hamburger Day, of all things. Well, get ready to see some of that. We'll see you in just a few minutes.
11:49We'll see you in the next few minutes.
11:58We'll see you in the next few minutes.
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16:48To stay in the
16:54Shorter breath.
16:55Now that he can legally use his driveway life should be a little easier.
16:56Now there is still one problem with this hard standing the drains at the top and it's
16:59on the slope so anytime it rains the water's gonna flow right towards the house just look
17:05Here's some water, and if we go downwards, it's going to flow all the way down.
17:12And you were a builder before in the construction?
17:15Yeah, once upon a time, yeah.
17:17Yeah, so what would you say about that?
17:20Well, the thing that I find, he was a contractor that put it in.
17:26It was one of the managers that put the drain in at the top.
17:30And I was thinking, what are you doing?
17:32The drain stand going to the top, so I thought, oh, he must know what he's doing.
17:35The problem is putting the drain up there and the drain at the bottom as well,
17:38so I just let him get on with it.
17:41He's lived here for more than 40 years.
17:44The battle for the drop curb finally over.
17:47But he's still asking whether anyone will fix the drainage issue.
17:51Gabriel Morris for KNTV in Strood.
17:54Now, we did approach MHS Homes for a statement regarding the drainage.
17:59Now, this is what they told us.
18:01They didn't answer our questions, but rather said,
18:03we are pleased that Medway Council's contractors have now dropped the curb for our customer,
18:07Mr. Partridge.
18:09Next, water safety experts are urging people to stay vigilant this summer
18:13after nearly 200 people died from accidental drowning in the UK last year.
18:18The number of deaths peaked during the hot weather in May,
18:20with Kent and Medway recording the second highest total in the southeast.
18:25Now, most deaths happened inland, often involving everyday activities like walking or running near water.
18:31Adrian Mayhew, director of national operations and safety manager at Surf Life Saving GB, joined us earlier.
18:38We actually know from the research that when we look at these accidental drownings and people going towards the water,
18:46that we have the research saying to us around 23 degrees is where people like to go and cool off.
18:52And that's where we see those drowning stats start to have an impact when we go over 23 degrees Celsius.
18:57So it's a very well point made.
19:00And the figures and numbers surprising for Kent and Medway because, of course, we're talking about the southeast,
19:07a lot of it covered in coastline, but particularly in Medway, we've got a lot of waterways here
19:12and then the whole of the Kent coast as well.
19:14So are the figures surprising?
19:16The figures are always surprising.
19:20We don't want to see any drowning deaths at all in any shape or form.
19:23And yes, the area like yourselves and other coastal lines always are subjected to slightly higher numbers,
19:31even though we're seeing inland flooding numbers being higher around 61%.
19:36And this is generally because we're seeing population growth.
19:39People are starting to have the blue therapy.
19:41People want to enjoy swimming in open water or a standard paddle boarding and things like that.
19:47So unfortunately, that starts to lend itself to a higher likelihood or probability
19:52when people are unfortunately taking unnecessary risks because they're not spending the time
19:56to understand the key safety messages around water so they can enjoy it and so can their families.
20:02And what dangers are there that we might not actually be aware of?
20:06So for your coastline, it's all about offshore winds and tidal currents.
20:12And generally, if you look at some of our instances previously, especially in your area,
20:16is we've been seeing offshore winds and people going out on paddle boards
20:20and it's like standard paddle boards and things like that where the offshore winds actually take them away.
20:25And they're unaware of how far they traveled from the beach line or the coastline.
20:30And it's very hard to get back.
20:32So what we're trying to advocate there is, you know, tell somebody where you're going,
20:36know your own capabilities, look at the weather and seeing if it's onshore, inshore winds.
20:42And most importantly, it's actually a swim or paddle or enjoy water at a life guarded area,
20:48be it at a life guarded beach or a Lido.
20:51And now with inland waters, have you highlighted at the top with 61% of deaths now happening in inland.
20:56There are many areas now where you can go to a lake where lifeguards are present.
21:01So definitely that's the first part, doing your risk assessment and knowing your ability
21:05and making sure that you're going to a life guarded area.
21:08And if you are going, go with a buddy.
21:10So you tell somebody.
21:11And then if you are getting into trouble, hopefully a member of the public,
21:14one of our key messages is knowing what to do when somebody is seen drowning.
21:19And we call those three words, call, tell, throw.
21:22Call 999, tell somebody to float on their back or float to live,
21:27lying on the back, creating a starfish and lying back with your ears in the water
21:32and sculling with your arms and legs.
21:33And throw is about throwing a throwing aid or some description,
21:37whether it's a throw bag or even a football with a plastic bag wrapped around it
21:42where somebody can grab hold of.
21:43It's something that we can help reduce those accidental drownings.
21:47And tell us more about cold water shock as well,
21:49because a lot of people don't realise how easy it is to fall into this
21:53and actually how dangerous it can be.
21:56Very good question.
21:57So cold water shock or cold shock response is a physiological effect on the body that we can't stop.
22:04It's inherent in our own body to protect our own organs.
22:07And that means when we hit the water straight away,
22:09our first response is a gasp response.
22:12And that gasp response, if you go underwater,
22:14can easily go past the lethal dose where you are now in the drowning chain.
22:18After that, you have your blood start going back to your core,
22:22which protects your organs.
22:23And the very blood you need to move your arms and legs to swim
22:26actually stops your ability to use your arms and legs.
22:28And that's when you start to see the swimming response start to go more fatal
22:33and people go vertical in the water.
22:35And then they start the drowning chain even further.
22:37And that's why we're asking people if you do find yourself in a situation
22:41and you are feeling like your gas response and your fast breathing
22:45and your arms and legs aren't working,
22:47it only takes a minute or so just to get past that cold water shock.
22:50So float on your back, float to live, make a starfish if you can,
22:54or use your arms and legs and just gently,
22:58and then put your head back with your ears on.
23:00And the thing is people float in different abilities.
23:03So some people can do a really good starfish
23:05and some people can actually find their legs sinking.
23:07The main thing is not to panic.
23:09The more you put your ears into the water and look up towards the sky
23:12and give it a 60 seconds to 90 seconds,
23:15that physiological response will disappear.
23:19And then you can start thinking about shouting for help.
23:23And if you are in the coastline,
23:25hopefully there's a bit of wave around there,
23:27head for the waves and they'll push you back in naturally.
23:30Now for a quick look at the weather over the coming days.
23:38A cloudy evening tonight with highs of 16 in Dartford,
23:41lows of 14 down there in Ashford,
23:43wind speeds of nine miles per hour.
23:45Temperatures rising tomorrow morning, 16 degrees in Canterbury
23:48and winds picking up to 16 miles per hour.
23:51And looking into the afternoon,
23:52the sun starts to peak through.
23:54Highs of 21 and lows of 15 in Dover.
23:57And a cloudy end to the week.
23:59Temperatures dropping from 23 to 20 by the weekend,
24:02saying goodbye to some of that nice sunny weather
24:04we've been spoilt with recently.
24:15And finally, it's National Hamburger Day,
24:17the perfect excuse to fire up the grill
24:19or head to your favourite burger joint.
24:21But the big question is, how do you take yours?
24:23Classic with cheese, fully loaded with all the toppings,
24:26or maybe something a bit more adventurous?
24:28We hit the streets of Rochester to find out
24:30how you like your burgers best.
24:32The 28th of May is National Burger Day.
24:37So we went down to Rochester High Street
24:39to see how the members of the public are spending the day.
24:42I didn't know there was Hamburger Day.
24:44It's really nice at least.
24:45A lot of kids love hamburgers and people love burgers.
24:48It makes them happy.
24:49I have no idea it existed.
24:51No, you know why.
24:52They make a day for everything now.
24:53I love it.
24:55I will celebrate by getting a burger ASAP.
24:58Oh, well, I haven't had lunch yet
25:00and I haven't had breakfast,
25:01so I might well have a burger.
25:03I mean, I've celebrated it
25:04by having a cheeseburger already, yeah.
25:06I'm quite a classic burger girl,
25:07so I like, you know, I do like a beef burger
25:10with mustard and some ketchup and pickle
25:14and maybe some onion and tomato,
25:17and that's pretty much it.
25:18I would put a bit of lamb mince,
25:20some herbs, some garlic, some chilli,
25:22but, you know, more meat.
25:24Cheese, bacon, beef,
25:26and then cheese, bacon, beef,
25:27so it's like...
25:28A big one, yeah.
25:30I like a truffle burger.
25:31Oh, I love chicken burgers.
25:32I love any burgers.
25:33It's great.
25:34Controversial, probably honey
25:38or maple syrup.
25:40Oh, my favourite is a gherkin.
25:41I love a little strip of gherkin.
25:43I do like gherkins in there,
25:44but I suppose quite a few people
25:46tend to have that, don't they?
25:47I don't like gherkins,
25:49so I'll be giving mine to you.
25:51And that's a wrap.
25:53Happy National Burger Day.
25:54This is Angelina from KMTV.
25:56Well, my burger of choices, I'd say,
25:59are a bit simpler than that.
26:00Bun, lettuce, mayonnaise if you're feeling
26:03a bit wacky.
26:05Beef, another bun.
26:08Maybe some bacon in there.
26:10You know, let's not get ahead of ourselves.
26:13Well, yeah, you've got to have some onion rings
26:15on the side as well.
26:16If it doesn't come with...
26:17If you've got the menu, right,
26:18and it doesn't come with fries,
26:19then, like, automatically, I'd walk out.
26:23Big red flag for me.
26:24Well, sorry about that.
26:26I got a bit heated there.
26:27Thanks for watching Kent Tonight Live here on KMTV.
26:30There's more news made just for Kent
26:32throughout the evening,
26:34which does not talk about burgers.
26:36Now, don't forget, you can always keep up to date
26:38with the latest news across your county
26:40by logging on to our website.
26:41Thank you so much.
26:42See you very soon.
26:43See you very soon.