Catch up with all the news across the county with Abby Hook.
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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:26I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories on Monday the 18th of November.
00:31James Gibbons found. Police say Cuxton teenager is safe after nine days of searching.
00:38All aboard. The three year wait for Dover's zero emission bus fleet is over, but they're
00:45diesel.
00:46£34 million for this is absolutely disgraceful.
00:50KMFM's Give a Gift.
00:53KMFM launches Christmas campaign to donate thousands of toys.
00:59All we've got to do is get that one teddy bear in the right hands and we've made a difference.
01:14First tonight, after an extensive week-long search, a missing teenager in Cuxton has been
01:19found.
01:20James Gibbons was last spotted heading towards woodlands near Woodhurst Close.
01:25Thousands in the area rallied together on Facebook in the hopes of finding the 16-year-old.
01:29Well, this evening we've been told that they have by Kent Police.
01:32Oliver Leader de Saks joins me now with some of those details.
01:35Oliver, start with what we've learnt this evening, what we've heard from Kent Police.
01:39Well, Abbey, it has been quite the emotional rollercoaster for the entirety of the Medway
01:44community, not just in Cuxton.
01:47We learnt just a few hours ago that James Gibbons, the missing 16-year-old, has been
01:51found safe and alive.
01:54It was nine days ago that he was last seen heading towards woodland near his home in
01:59Rochester.
02:00And around 1pm on Sunday, over a week ago in fact, he was found alive.
02:06He was seen heading towards woodlands.
02:07In the last few hours, Kent Police have confirmed he has been located.
02:12Their spokesperson said officers and the boy's family were in fact members of the
02:16public and partner agencies who assisted with the searches to all those who shared the appeal.
02:21James' family are asking for privacy at this time.
02:25And what have the past nine days looked like?
02:28Where have the search efforts been extended to?
02:30Because there were a lot of people that were involved in looking and finding James.
02:34Abbey, thousands of people were searching for the missing teenager.
02:39The Medway village of Cuxton was filled with police officers and specialists tirelessly
02:43working to find the teen for more than a week.
02:47With 609 teams searching across an area of 1,500 acres as of the weekend, volunteering
02:54more than 1,100 hours of time and tracking a combined 675km to bring James safely back
03:04home.
03:06Volunteers were supported by search dogs and South East 4x4 response units.
03:10And that doesn't even take into account the volunteers from the community.
03:15Around 5,000 people joined the Help Find James Gibbons Facebook page to offer their support,
03:21help or ideas in the investigation.
03:25The entire community came together on this one, Abbey.
03:28There were large banners spotted on the roads around the villages, posters on shopfronts
03:32and lampposts.
03:34And at the weekend, the family of the dearly loved teenage boy issued a heartfelt plea
03:38for him to come home, telling him, you're not in any trouble, James, and we love you
03:42dearly.
03:43Hopefully we'll learn more details about this in the coming days.
03:47Police say they'll be answering their press inbox from tomorrow morning.
03:51But given how extensive the search has been, Abbey, the entire community will be breathing
03:54a sigh of relief on this one.
03:57Definitely Oliver and definitely something we've been following closely here and the
04:00family and that whole community that have rallied round together to find James.
04:06More than 5,000 on that Facebook page as well, so really crucial that they've now found him
04:12and more details to come, as you say, Oliver, thank you for those details.
04:18Next this evening, footage from Kent Police shows the moment a Birchington takeaway worker
04:22was arrested after fatally injuring a customer after hurling a chair at them.
04:27Seabell's Fish and Chip Shop staffer, Rashko Kurtev, seen on screen now, had got into an
04:32argument with Rodney McLeod before the assault earlier this year.
04:37It left McLeod hospitalised before he died from his injuries a month later.
04:41Canterbury Crown Court sentenced Kurtev to three years and nine months in prison after
04:45pleading guilty to manslaughter.
04:47Well, let's take a look at the moment police arrested him.
04:51Yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:53Hello, mate, you all right? What's your name?
04:55Er, Rashko.
04:56Sorry, Erashko.
04:57Erashko, mate, my name's Sergeant Harris, you? Well, otherwise.
05:00I've some information related to me over the control room that allegedly you're potentially
05:04our suspect for what's just happened out there, OK?
05:07So, the time is 14.17 and at this time you're under arrest on suspicion of causing GBH with
05:11intent to cause serious group bodily harm.
05:14Do you have to say anything that may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned,
05:17Do you have to say anything that may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned,
05:19something you may write around in court, anything you do say may be given in evidence?
05:23Next this evening, a Medway menopause expert says it's devastating but not surprising that
05:28gynaecology waiting lists have more than doubled since the pandemic.
05:32A new report shows that nearly 750,000 women are waiting for treatment, leaving many in
05:38pain with worries for their future.
05:40Earlier, I spoke to Jeanette Forder, the founder of Phoenix Wellness.
05:44She helps women experiencing menopause and her mission is to open up conversations around
05:49women's health and the health inequalities.
05:52...and upset. I don't know the exact numbers here in Kent, but I know it's impacting women.
06:01I know of a couple of ladies, one lady who is looking for endometriosis treatment in
06:09order to get that treatment, to really get the right diagnosis and get the treatment
06:13so she can go ahead with her fertility treatment, she's had to go to Spain to get the right
06:18support.
06:19And we have to acknowledge that these health issues need to be dealt with and we need more
06:27people that can support these women.
06:30I don't want to say that GPs aren't good in this area, but I've heard of lots of women
06:35and my own experience hasn't been sparkling in terms of getting the right support.
06:40We know within the NHS there are lots of different areas where there are huge waiting
06:45lists.
06:46So why is gynaecology health in particular so important?
06:51I think because if you're not diagnosed, you're not getting the right treatment, particularly
06:59for period issues, it can lead to other complications.
07:04But I also think there's a little bit of women's health has been a bit of a second-class
07:10citizen for many years, sadly.
07:13And now that we have a 15-year women's health strategy, that tide is starting to change.
07:20And more of us, like myself and other women that I know, are coming out and saying, this
07:25isn't good enough.
07:26We need to be treated.
07:27We need to be seen.
07:29We need to be seen as a priority.
07:32And I think that's part of the problem.
07:34We haven't had that priority put on women's health.
07:38Do you think this report released today will make a difference?
07:43I sincerely hope so.
07:44I mean, it makes me really angry to think of all these, you know, was it three quarters
07:49a million or something?
07:50A really high number of women waiting to get the treatment and the support that they need
07:56and that they deserve, quite frankly.
07:58These figures need to change.
08:00Because women that will be in severe difficulties, it can lead to further complications, you
08:06know, relationship breakdown, being unable to work because of their symptoms.
08:11If they could just get an appointment, that would make all the difference.
08:15Well, someone from the Department for Health and Social Care said too many women are facing
08:20unacceptable wait times for gynecology treatment.
08:23The government's overhauling women's health care and our 10-year health plan backed by
08:28a £22.6 billion increase in a day-to-day health spending.
08:33Now, next this evening, don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories
08:38by logging on to our websites, kmcv.co.uk.
08:41There you'll find all our reports, including this one about the number of Excel bullies
08:44destroyed by police since the ban came into force.
08:49Meet Colin.
08:50He's just one of thousands of Excel bullies, now muzzled and on lead after the breed was
08:56designated as dangerous dogs at the beginning of this year.
09:01The ban means dogs like Colin have to be registered with the authorities and neutered, with owners
09:07risking an unlimited fine and up to six months in prison for not complying.
09:13Colin is not the only Excel bully here in Kent.
09:17He's one of nearly 2,000 to have been registered since the ban came into place, according to
09:22exclusive data obtained by the Kent Messenger.
09:26What makes Colin different, though, is he has epilepsy and just about crosses the height
09:31restrictions for the breed.
09:34His owner, Stephanie, thinks he's a borderline case and that restrictions need to be changed
09:39slightly to allow for better treatment of dogs with specialist needs.
09:44It's not that I don't agree with the ban, it's I don't agree with the way it's been
09:48implemented and it was rushed through, if you like.
09:54Especially for dogs that do have any medical conditions, I mean, you know, it's very much
10:00something needed to be done, but something fit for purpose.
10:03Now new data shows that Kent police have seized nearly 70 bullies in the first six months
10:08of the ban, destroying 34 of them.
10:12That's one bully every five days.
10:15The ban was introduced after a rise in dog attacks since 2021, but one Maidstone expert
10:22has warned that breed bans don't tackle the root causes of why these attacks happen.
10:28From looking at statistics where we've had pit bulls banned in the past and things like
10:31that, it doesn't result in fewer bites.
10:33So again, I think it was probably a lot of us trainers maybe think it's probably just
10:36a knee-jerk reaction from the government because we did have a lot.
10:39Obviously, there is something going on potentially with XL bullies.
10:42We have had a lot of unfortunate deaths and of course that's very, very sad and that shouldn't
10:46be happening.
10:47But I think what happens if we just ban these breeds, it just is just a sticking plaster
10:52on kind of a very ineffective plaster on the situation rather than trying to make the situation
10:56better in the long term.
10:58The government say they introduced these measures to protect public safety.
11:03And while many in Kent have welcomed the new restrictions, calls for strict licensing on
11:08owners rather than an outright ban persist.
11:12Oliver, leader of the SAC for KMTV in Chatham.
11:17Time for a very quick break now, but coming up, we'll be joined by Bartholomew Hall to
11:23hear all the top sports news from right across the county ahead of a brand new episode of
11:27Invicta Sport as always on a Monday.
11:29And we'll take a look at Dover's newly launched fast track scheme, a zero emissions all electric
11:34bus service, but it's being started with diesel buses until at least summer next year.
11:40Find out why after this very short break.
11:42See you then.
14:46Hello and welcome back to Kent tonight, live on KMTV.
15:14Now to sport, and absolute united struggles in the National League continued this weekend
15:18with manager Harry Watling saying he's fed up with defending his players after suffering
15:23their worst defeat in more than three decades.
15:25With more on this ahead of a brand new episode of Invicta Sport, I'm of course joined by
15:29the show's producer, Bartholomew Hall.
15:30We usually sat here talking about the Gilles on a Monday, but Ebbsfleet?
15:34Yes, that's right.
15:35Gillingham didn't have a game at the weekend.
15:37Their match against Walsall was postponed.
15:39So a week break for Mark Bunner and his team.
15:41But yeah, attention's turned slightly to Harry Watling's side, who have had a pretty
15:45poor start to the season under him.
15:47They haven't won a league match yet.
15:49He was drafted in at the beginning of the season when some of their woes from the end
15:53of last year continued on.
15:54They did manage to stay in the National League and avoid relegation at the end of last season.
15:58But it seems like that air of positivity that we ended everything on didn't carry over.
16:04And they've only won one game so far this season.
16:066-0 was the score at the weekend against Solihill Moors.
16:10That's their worst, as you said, in more than three decades.
16:13I believe the exact year is 33 years.
16:16That's how long they have managed to go without conceding that many.
16:20But he came out and spoke to the press, and we'll hear from him in a second, saying that
16:23he was fed up defending his team week in, week out.
16:27Saying that usually he's the one that takes it on the chin, he's the manager.
16:30But this time he's put in the work, he says, in training, in those half-time team talks.
16:38He's really putting in the effort, and he feels like his team isn't reciprocating that.
16:42So let's hear from him after that game.
16:47I'm gobsmacked.
16:50I'm livid.
16:53I've just spoke to the players in now, and I've just been really clear in terms of what
16:56I've tried to do, which I think is the right thing since I've been here, is come out and protect them.
17:02I'm not having that today.
17:03Every single time the ball went up the other end, we looked slow, we looked off it, we
17:07looked a little bit scared, and I can't accept players not running around on the football
17:12pitch, and I won't accept that.
17:14So I've had a strong conversation with the players, and just said to them in now and
17:18certain terms, I won't be going out to defend you this week.
17:21Always interesting when a manager turns to his team for some of the criticisms.
17:25But yeah, plenty more football to come in Invicta Sport straight after the break.
17:29Thank you very much.
17:31Next this evening, a fleet of zero-emissions buses was promised for the people of Dover,
17:35and after years of not knowing, it's finally arrived, only with diesel engines, costing
17:40£34 million, with a £20 million grant from Homes England.
17:44The new service that debuted over the weekend is intended to connect Dover Town to Whitfield,
17:49ahead of the new homes to be built there.
17:51Well, Phil McDermott has been speaking to people down in Dover to see what they thought.
17:56It's been promised since 2021, an all-electric, zero-emission fleet of buses connecting the
18:01centre of Dover to the nearby town of Whitfield.
18:05It's now 2024, and the bus route launched on the 17th of November last weekend, only
18:10with diesel-powered vehicles instead.
18:12Now it is only temporary.
18:14KCC's Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Neil Baker, explained why the service wouldn't
18:18be electric in the beginning.
18:21Stagecoach, the bus operator locally, have had problems with their supply chain.
18:26It's really down to how long it takes them to get hold of the buses.
18:29They've got them on order.
18:30They're due to arrive in summer next year now.
18:32This is obviously outside of Kent County Council's control, but the decision really
18:36has to be made.
18:37Do we let this new infrastructure we have just sit empty with no buses on it for a period,
18:43or do we actually use diesel buses in the meantime?
18:46It's not ideal, but of course having people on buses is better than everybody using cars
18:51to start with.
18:52He also mentioned the need for the service to support the District Council's transport
18:55plan and to reduce the pressure of heavy traffic on the town's roads.
18:59Well, here's a map of the services, which will start at Dover Priory Station, cutting
19:04through the town centre and looping around the main thoroughfare of Whitfield, with the
19:07route also set to expand north past Richmond Way in the future.
19:12The people of Dover, who use the buses most, didn't seem thrilled about the change, or
19:16the fact the scheme would cost £34 million.
19:20And do you think that £34 million is...
19:23I think it's disgraceful.
19:25£34 million for this is absolutely disgraceful.
19:32Well, we've been watching it being built for a very long time, which has disrupted the
19:36local roads, everything, and a big mess as well.
19:41And I just want to know who is actually going to use it, because that's always the interesting
19:45thing.
19:46Well, it's supposed to have been electric, but it isn't.
19:49Maybe one day it will be.
19:51It was also supposed to open in 2023.
19:55The fast-track project follows the increase of homes in Whitfield and requires new roads
19:59to be built, including a bridge across the A2.
20:02While some may think the price tag is too high, the scheme has received a £22 million
20:06grant from Homes England.
20:07Well, Dover aren't the only Kent town to be doing this, with Dartford and Gravesham also
20:12set to adopt similar schemes to start in April, with zero-emission buses.
20:17Locals hope the new service will fit in with existing routes and, once it's out, that electric
20:21buses will be introduced as soon as possible.
20:24Finn McDermid for KMTV in Dover.
20:27And now a very quick look at the weather.
20:35Some rain tonight across the county, with temperatures of mostly six degrees across
20:39the board.
20:40Seven down by Dover there, where Finn was in his report.
20:45Highs tomorrow morning between five and seven, nice and cold.
20:48A bit of wind to cloudy into your afternoon too, but some sunshine potentially coming
20:52out behind the clouds.
20:53Temperatures dropping to mostly four degrees.
20:56And here's what it's looking like over the next few days.
20:58Wednesday a bit of sunshine, Thursday and Friday cloud again, low temperatures of four
21:02and five.
21:14And finally, this evening, Give A Gift is back, but this time with a slightly different
21:18message.
21:19Over at our sister station, KMFM Breakfast, Gary and Chelsea have been launching this
21:23year's campaign for listeners to donate toys in time for Christmas.
21:28Last year they delivered more than 14,000 toys to children across Kent.
21:32But for the radio station, it was one story in particular that made this year even more
21:36crucial.
21:37Rob Wills told me all about it earlier, but first, here's the announcement from Gary and
21:42Chelsea.
21:44KMFM's Give A Gift.
21:46With Hendy Vauxhall and Persia Tumbridge.
21:49It's KMFM Breakfast with Gary and Chelsea on a very special Monday morning.
21:54Now, last year you showed us the power of giving at Christmas and helped us bring smiles
21:59to thousands of children across Kent with our toy appeal, Give A Gift.
22:03Yeah, thanks to the generous people of Kent, that's you, that's our KMFM listeners, that's
22:08you and our community support as well.
22:10We collected an absolutely astounding more than 14,000 gifts.
22:17I still can't believe it.
22:18And we are so thrilled to announce and officially launch right here, right now, that we are
22:25doing it again for 2024.
22:27Yeah, let's go.
22:28The third year of us doing this, it's the biggest toy appeal right here in Kent, where
22:33we use our incredible listeners, the amazing businesses that we're surrounded by, to collect
22:39as many toys as possible to deliver them to children who are in less fortunate circumstance.
22:43Now, this year is going to be really tricky because I think almost everybody is in tricky
22:51times right now.
22:53And I have to keep reminding myself of the family that we met last year as to why Give
22:59A Gift is so important.
23:01So we met a charity in Raynham who were talking about one of the bears that we donated ended
23:07up getting picked by a little girl who was poorly.
23:12And she also chose a gift for her brother, I think it was, and her sister.
23:17Sadly, she passed away weeks after.
23:21That bear that was donated stays with the brother and sister, and that's their memory.
23:28So this isn't about going, well, children need to learn that Christmas isn't just about
23:34unwrapping.
23:35This is a lot deeper, which is why we're asking as many people as possible to dig deep and
23:41try and help us this year.
23:43And it's stories like that that get people involved, that get people donating as well,
23:46and realising how important a campaign like this can be.
23:50What sort of response do you get from those that are donating?
23:53So obviously, I only started this morning.
23:57What's been really interesting is the run-up to this.
23:59We're late starting.
24:00There's been so much going on that we are late.
24:04So we would have normally been two weeks in by now.
24:07And we have had so many emails from people saying, let's give a gift, when's it coming?
24:12We want to come and deliver.
24:13We want to help out.
24:14We want to come out to the hospitals, the care homes, whatever.
24:17So far, it's been amazing.
24:19Gary and Chelsea launched it this morning at ten past eight.
24:21The Just Giving page is now live.
24:24These things, as ever, take a little bit of time because there are three ways to get in
24:28touch.
24:29The first is the Just Giving page.
24:30And then we use our incredible phone book to ask for favours.
24:36And we get toys and gifts at a really low value.
24:39So we're able to buy more.
24:41The second thing is you can donate directly to the studio.
24:45So buy an Amazon shop or whatever, and it comes into us.
24:48And the third way is, you've seen it firsthand, people actually bringing toys into the studios.
24:54Given that we've only started this morning, it takes a day or so for that stuff to spoil
24:59up because people have got to buy the gift and have it arranged for delivery.
25:04So you're always, and I remember sitting here having the same conversation with you over
25:09the tons of tins.
25:11We don't know.
25:12You know, trickery of cameras here.
25:15There's nobody else in here.
25:16It's just me and you talking in a room, right?
25:18That's the same deal with radio.
25:19There's no difference.
25:20So we're assuming that thousands of people are watching and listening, but you don't
25:24know.
25:25Well, the numbers showed it from last year as well.
25:27How many toys did you get last year?
25:28The bar is 14,000, and it's the only time I've ever cried on air.
25:37The day after we dropped these toys off, and I was told the story about the little girl
25:41and her toy.
25:42I think her name was Shannon.
25:44And it was the only time I've ever emotionally lost it on air, and you've known me long enough
25:49to know that.
25:50I'm not an emotional person, right?
25:52But I said that night, we missed the point of this promotion.
25:56We were going for big numbers.
25:57We were going for like, right, can we beat the 11,000 from last year?
26:01Which is why you will at no point hear me say that I'm trying to beat 14,000 this year.
26:05That's not what we're trying to do.
26:07All we've got to do is get that one teddy bear in the right hands and we've made a difference.
26:14Very important appeal.
26:15Very touching story from Rob there over at KMFM, launching their Give a Gift campaign
26:21coming up to Christmas.
26:22That's all we've got time for for Kent tonight, live here on KMTV.
26:25And of course, more news made just for Kent throughout the evening.
26:28We've got all the sports news in Invicta Sport coming up in just a few minutes' time.
26:32But you can log on to our website, kmtv.co.uk, to get all the latest stories in the meantime.
26:37But I'll see you in just a few minutes' time.
26:55Bye.
26:56Bye.
26:57Bye.
26:58Bye.