Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Abby Hook.
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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:29I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories on Tuesday the 28th of January.
00:34Breaking barriers, disabled and neurodivergent performers changing the narrative for mainstream
00:40art.
00:41Their needs aren't always catered for in a way that is most appropriate for them.
00:46Leap of faith, Deal Acrobatics Group could survive as Dover Council reconsiders leisure
00:52centre closure.
00:54The parents are relying on me tonight, and now I'm asking for you guys to put something
00:57in place.
00:58I care what it is, but do not close this centre.
01:01Barking out the wrong tree, it's Chatham planning on swapping their dogs for robots.
01:07That's really barbaric.
01:09Robotic animals instead of real ones.
01:12Good evening.
01:23A Kent performing arts organisation says there's not enough accessibility for young people
01:28who are disabled or neurodivergent to get into the industry.
01:32Many of the members of Square Peg Arts who take part add they rely on the group for connection,
01:37confidence and to fight isolation.
01:39Our reporter Kristin Hawthorne went to their yearly concert and spoke to some of those
01:43performers to find out just how crucial the group is.
01:46A night of music, joy and breaking barriers.
02:05This performance is no ordinary show.
02:09In mainstream theatre, accessibility is still a huge challenge.
02:13For many of its members, this is their only chance to express themselves and be celebrated
02:18for their talents.
02:20The group is Square Peg Arts, a programme designed to empower young people with disabilities,
02:25giving them opportunities in an accessible environment that is often not available in
02:30mainstream art.
02:31I think Square Peg Arts is really important for the community in that, like I said, a
02:39lot of people do a lot of things with people who have learning disabilities, but sometimes
02:43it can be tokenistic, sometimes it can be just kind of a pat on the head or a kind of
02:47oh we'll put them in a room with some instruments and let them play kind of thing, which is
02:51fine and that can have value.
02:53But I think it's really important to understand that if someone's autistic, for example, it
02:59doesn't mean that they can't do things, it just means that they might need help to access
03:04those things.
03:05Every month they practice a song with the director, then in their own time can collaborate
03:09with each other and sing songs to perform on stage for the end of year show.
03:13A lot of these people are more than capable of doing incredible things, sometimes more
03:17so because of their neurodivergence, but they just sometimes need that access to be able
03:23to do it.
03:24But it's more than just a stage for many, as some members feel that they would be isolated
03:28without the group, feeling like their talents and passion for music are being wasted.
03:41It's changed my life for the better, plus I've made new friends, I'm being more social
03:45and get to be part of this good community.
03:48Before I did square potion singing I was doing nothing at home really, kind of wasting away
03:53my talents and that's it really.
03:56It definitely made me more confident because I remember when I first came here, when I
04:00first got a square peg and singers generally, I was quite shy and quite withdrawn.
04:05I didn't talk to many people because I only knew a few people.
04:09I just want to thank everyone at Square Pegs for making me who I am and I'd be very sad
04:14if it stopped going or they had to stop singers definitely.
04:19Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV in Canterbury.
04:23Well Kristen joins me now.
04:25You could see just how crucial that was to the people that you were meeting there and
04:29speaking to, performing.
04:31Definitely, I mean so many of them travelled from Margate, Dover, all across Kent really
04:37just to take part and just to meet their friends and have a good time.
04:41Yeah, you can see how important that is for them.
04:43But it's not actually the only challenge the arts industry is facing here in the county.
04:48We've seen a couple theatres placed on the Theatre Trust's At Risk Register.
04:53What exactly does that mean?
04:55Well, so being on the At Risk Register means that they are at risk of being closed.
05:01So these two are in Kent but across the UK there's been a total of 44 theatres added
05:08to this list which is really quite crucial because people that are already struggling
05:14to get into the industry may struggle even more.
05:17But it is due to basically the safety of the building and concerns surrounding that.
05:23And that's the Roundhouse Theatre in Dover and the Theatre Royal in Margate.
05:28Exactly.
05:29It's similar to issues we've seen with things like RAC, the unsafe concrete in the
05:33Orchard in Dartford.
05:34Yes, definitely.
05:36I mean it's just like significant dilapidation.
05:41Kent County Council opposed to revamp but Dover District Council accepted.
05:45So there's just a lot of different things going on here.
05:48And it's quite sad as well because there's a lot of history behind it.
05:51I mean, one of them, the Royal Theatre, fourth oldest in the county and one of them
05:57as well even hosted the likes of Charlie Chaplin which is quite impressive.
06:02Yes, definitely, Kristen.
06:03And a shame for the theatre industry, definitely, for sure.
06:08Now, further criminal charges have been brought against a man from Deal who
06:12murdered his pregnant wife more than 25 years ago.
06:16In 1999, Debbie Griggs was reported missing from her home.
06:20Before her remains were found in Dorset more than 20 years later.
06:24The discovery means Mr Griggs who is currently in prison for life has been
06:28further charged with perverting the course of justice and obstructing a
06:32coroner in the execution of their duty.
06:35He's due to appear at Medway Magistrates Court next month.
06:40A Maidstone drink driver who was seen slumped over the wheel on the M25 has
06:45been given a six-week suspended prison sentence.
06:48Dash cam footage shows just how slowly Amos Cherrymuter was going as he veered
06:53from left to right during the busy motorway rush hour.
06:56When the 42-year-old was pulled over, police discovered he was four times over
07:01the legal limit at the time with a bottle of Jack Daniels on the passenger seat.
07:05And sick was found in the front of the car as well.
07:08Cherrymuter, who appeared at Maidstone Magistrates Court this month,
07:12has also been banned from driving for more than two and a half years.
07:18Dramatic footage shows a police officer running to safety just moments before
07:22a truck driver rammed into his motorbike during a Favisham police chase.
07:27Body cam footage from the pursuit shows the officer pulling up and escaping
07:32into the woods when the van he was chasing suddenly braked before reversing,
07:37with the officer only being able to look on as their motorcycle was run over.
07:42The chase began when 31-year-old Fraser Higgins, who was suspected of driving
07:46a flatbed van unlawfully, but refused to pull over.
07:50Appearing at Canterbury Crown Court, Higgins was sentenced to two and a half years
07:54in prison and a driving ban upon release.
07:59The future of Deel's community groups is set to be decided by Dover District Council's
08:03Cabinet next week after a crunch meeting last night.
08:07Councillors voted to review their decision.
08:10Several sports groups who were at the meeting were worried that the £20m redevelopment
08:14and a nine-month period of closure would mean the end of their clubs.
08:25This is what the nine-month closure of Tides Leisure Centre in Deel means to the coaches,
08:44parents, children and other members of the sports clubs.
08:48It's been a night that many members of local Deel community groups have been waiting for
08:52with bated breath. However, they won't know the result as soon as they might have hoped.
08:57While some clubs are able to find other venues during the time when the centre will be without
09:01an operator, it's groups like East Kent Acro Gymnastics Club who have large specialist
09:06equipment and the need for a large hall space that would face disbanding if the closure
09:10were to go ahead.
09:11As a club that's been running for 40 years and 20 of those years have been at Tides,
09:15knowing that actually if it does close, that would mean the end of our club, you can't
09:19just come back. We've got a competition in April, actually, where would we train for
09:23that last week? We've got our competition season will start again in October, November,
09:27what are we going to do? It would mean the end. And then who's saying the club would
09:31potentially have to start again, but then where do you start again from? It's, yeah,
09:36I don't know what the answer is.
09:39But last night, Dover District Council held a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee
09:43who heard statements from members of affected sports clubs and voted for the decision to
09:47close the sports hall to be reconsidered by the Cabinet.
09:50The key thing that happened last night is that the Scrutiny Committee heard from many
09:54users and groups at Tides, heard the impact that a closure will have on them. And then
10:00the committee resolved unanimously to ask the Cabinet to take another look at the decision
10:07to consider all the potential options that there are for keeping the centre open.
10:12Next Monday, on the 3rd of February, the Cabinet will review that decision and make the choice
10:16on whether to keep the hall open until the new operator takes over in 2026.
10:21For East Kent Acro, as well as badminton and tennis groups, the result of the Cabinet's
10:24decision could mean life or death for their clubs. And they'll have to wait another week
10:28to find out the result.
10:31Finn McDermid, for CAME TV, in Deal.
10:36Now, just before we go to the break, let's take a look at the weather.
10:39Tonight, it's partly cloudy across Kent, with an average temperature of 8 degrees,
10:48with strong winds continuing throughout the night. Tomorrow morning, there'll be lots
10:52of sunshine, however, with temperatures dropping to an average of 6 degrees, but some nice,
10:57clear skies. Not what you're used to at the minute, but into the afternoon. Enjoy it while
11:01it lasts, that rain spreading right across the county. Temperatures between 7 and 8 degrees.
11:05And here's your outlook for Kent. Same on Thursday, more sunshine, but that cloud coming
11:09by Friday. Highs of 8 on Saturday.
11:21Now, it's time for a very quick break, but coming up, we'll be taking a look at this
11:25week's business news, which looks at the new entry-exit system for the EU, and many more
11:30stories, of course. Of course, that delayed until next November. And we'll head to the
11:34National Archives to learn more about the Canterbury smuggling gang involved in a seaside
11:39shootout, the last smugglers to be executed in the country, right here in Kent. All that
11:44and more coming up after this very short break. See you then.
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15:05Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight, live on KMTV. Now, from the new EU border check
15:18system in Dover, getting pushed back to a grade 2 wedding venue, leaving couples with
15:23no answers. Here's all the latest news in this week's business roundup.
15:34First up on this week's Business Roundup.
15:36The new EU border check system is not going to be in place until November.
15:40Doug Bannister, the CEO of the Port of Dover, states that the checks are expected to gradually
15:45build up over six months.
15:47Here's more from him now.
15:48So all of our work on the implementation of EES in Dover has been designed around making
15:53certain that we can offer a compliant service for what it is that we need to do for the
15:58actual checks.
15:59But really importantly, it's to make certain that we minimize the impact of any traffic
16:03congestion on the town of Dover.
16:06Next up, the Orange Tree Pub near Dartford is having a £200,000 renovation.
16:11The building will be able to host up to 60 people after the refurbishments, and many
16:15of its main features will be renovated, such as the saloon bar and the main bar.
16:20Not only that, but the pub's owner is also looking for someone new to run the place.
16:24The dog-friendly community pub is searching for an experienced licensee to take over once
16:29the refurbishments are completed.
16:31And finally, a future bride has been left worrying after her wedding venue has left
16:34her with no answers.
16:36St. Augustine's Church in Westgate-on-Sea cancelled a wine-tasting evening and a Burns
16:41Night celebration, leaving a vague note on their door with very little explanation.
16:45Sarah Dedman, who's set to marry in March, has tried contacting the venue organisers
16:49several times, leaving messages and even turning up to confront them in person, but to no avail.
16:55The staff's only statement online is that they are unable to provide customers with
16:58more information until they themselves are advised.
17:01That's all for this week's Business Roundup.
17:10Now don't forget you can of course keep up to date with all the latest business news
17:14and our latest stories across Kent by logging onto our website, it's kmtv.co.uk.
17:18There you'll find all our reports, including this one about saving lives in the 21st century.
17:23Here is Kent's first fire-fighting robot.
17:27From fighting fires to dragging victims to safety, this robot is Kent Fire & Rescue's
17:33latest recruit.
17:34The idea for this equipment is that it will be able to access and extinguish fires in
17:38areas that are too dangerous or difficult for firefighters to reach, keeping crews safer
17:44and freeing up resources for other emergencies.
17:47It can even shoot 2,000 litres of water per minute, which is more than double what the
17:52hoses can spray.
17:54But how reliable is this technology that uses a PlayStation controller?
17:59So the robot itself has got lots of redundancy built in, I think is the first thing to be
18:04aware of, in that there's lots of different capabilities that allow it to be a resilient
18:09piece of equipment.
18:10The second is, as you say, it does use a PlayStation controller, that can be easily replaced and
18:16swapped out.
18:18We could use a PlayStation from somebody's one at home and use that as part of the robot.
18:24During testing, they monitor the robot to see if it can withstand extreme heat.
18:28They also practiced its capabilities to see if it worked, and so far they seem to be pleased
18:33with the outcome.
18:34It's got a 2,000 litre per minute monitor on it, which is a lot of water.
18:39It's able to be moved and relocated remotely, so 200, 300 metres away, depending on radio
18:46signal.
18:47It's also got a full optic capability and a full thermal imagery capability, which allows
18:52us to understand how hot a fire is burning and where to apply water in certain situations.
18:58Currently trained on how to use it are six members of the firefighting team, who hope
19:02to benefit from the new addition.
19:04There's many incidents that we would attend, chemical incidents where we've got to gather
19:09information without committing crews, or just firefighting within a large commercial premise
19:14like a warehouse would be an ideal situation to use the robot.
19:19It's got the ability to attach gas monitors to it, so we can survey the atmosphere within
19:26the area, which is great.
19:28And we've got camera, which has got good optical and thermal capabilities.
19:33We've also communication systems as well, so we can give instruction to people within
19:39the area.
19:40As testing and demonstrations continue, Kent Fire and Rescue are preparing to use the bot
19:45in real life situations.
19:47If it works, the future of firefighting may look much different than it does today.
19:52Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV in Ramsgate.
19:57Now, every month the National Archives in Kew highlights a different piece of history.
20:02And for January, this has been on Kent's smuggling gangs of the 1800s.
20:07Researchers have been combing through documents and have uncovered a story of shootouts and
20:11gun running from Thanet to Maidstone.
20:14They even believe that the execution of the gang was the last of its kind in the entire
20:19country.
20:20Finn MacDermid went down to the National Archives to find out more.
20:25It was two in the morning, the 2nd of September, 1821, when shipman Washington Carr spotted
20:3140 men marching across the beach at Marsh Bay, hauling kegs of spirits with rope.
20:36A gunfight followed across the beach, and Carr was even cut across the face by his own
20:40cutlass, one of the smugglers Daniel Fagg had taken off him.
20:44The gang, who were from Canterbury, got away into the Thanet marshland with most of their
20:48cargo, but would later be put to death for their crimes.
20:51And it's believed now to be the last execution of smugglers in the UK.
20:55Now their story has been put on display at the National Archives, from researchers putting
20:59together legal and financial documents to tell the full story.
21:02Now I've travelled up to the National Archives here in West London, specifically Kew, and
21:06I want to see the document that details the last stand of the Margate smuggling gang.
21:11And I want to find out, was Margate particularly bad for smuggling?
21:15Following the Napoleonic Wars, there were more taxes on foreign goods and plenty of
21:19sailors, with few other ways of making money, leading to a smuggling boom.
21:23Later, from a witness statement, a gardener saw a crowd gathered in Canterbury, surrounding
21:28several of the smugglers who were bragging that they had gotten away, with one even said
21:32to have made shooting gestures.
21:34The court documents later show how they were caught in groups during separate months of 1822.
21:39They identify 19 men and they arrest them, and they bring them to trial the following March.
21:46So this is March 1822, 19 men, all of them from Canterbury, most of them labourers, some
21:52of them shoemakers, all of them working class men from Canterbury.
21:57Originally of the 19 smugglers caught, they were all set to be executed, but this was
22:01reduced to just four of them, with the rest either sent to prison hulks or Australia.
22:06While their leader, Stephen Lawrence, had enough money to actually hire lawyers, who
22:10argued there was no way to identify him, he got away without punishment, but was later
22:14convicted of stealing his neighbour's furniture.
22:17Meanwhile, the unlucky four were publicly hanged on Penenden Heath near Maidstone, in
22:21front of an unusually large crowd of 15,000 people.
22:25Yeah, I think the execution at Penenden Heath is a very interesting one for a couple of reasons.
22:32Firstly, executions generally draw a crowd, but the crowd outside of Maidstone in April
22:401822 was a very, very large one, 15,000 spectators according to the newspapers.
22:46One of the reasons for this is the number of smugglers being hanged, four of them at once.
22:51They're believed to be the last smugglers put to death, as only 10-15 years later, taxes
22:56were reduced, making the crime far less profitable.
22:59Every month, the National Archives change their display, but it does provide a unique
23:03look into what Kent's criminals were like back in the 19th century.
23:07Finn McDermid for KMTV.
23:11Finn reporting there from the National Archives.
23:14And finally this evening, we're not done with the robot content tonight.
23:17If you're nestled up at home with your dog beside you, maybe a cat stretched out on the
23:21window sill, well, I've got a question for you.
23:23Have you ever considered a futuristic upgrade?
23:26Well, according to the RSPCA, 25% of people in the South East are considering ditching
23:32pets for robots.
23:34Our pet-loving reporter, Oliver Needlesax, is here to break down all the details.
23:38Oliver, I can't possibly imagine ever giving up my lovely little dog at home for a robot.
23:45It doesn't look that fluffy there, does it?
23:48It's a bit weird, I'm not sure about the legs, but these robots could become a bit in the
23:53future with the rise of AI.
23:55Apparently people in the South East seem kind of keen on it.
23:59According to a new survey by Savanta for the RSPCA, 25% of people in the South East would
24:06consider getting a robot pet.
24:09I'm not fully convinced myself, but, and you can see some of the lovely dogs from our
24:14production team on screen right now, these are the sort of pets that these robots might
24:19be replacing in the future.
24:22And on average, across the entire UK, slightly higher than that, around 26% of people would
24:27be interested in getting a robot pet as well.
24:31And even more so, 25% of people in the South East think technology or AI could replace
24:37the role pets have for them.
24:39Not just entirely being keen on getting one in the first place, but maybe even fulfilling
24:43that gap in their lives.
24:46But of course, it doesn't really matter what the RSPCA think, or we think, it matters what
24:50the people of Kent think.
24:52I was on Chetham High Street earlier on, chasing down a few dog walkers and cat lovers to find
24:57out what their thoughts on it.
24:59And of course, it's always controversial.
25:01Well, that's really barbaric.
25:05But we've got a cat, and there's no way we would swap pets.
25:10Oh, absolutely.
25:11No way.
25:12You can't beat the real thing, you know.
25:14How could a robot love you like a cat, a real cat, or a real dog, rabbit, guinea pig, any
25:19pet?
25:20You know, it's not the same as the real thing, is it?
25:22I mean, one day, artificial intelligence could turn against humanity.
25:26Could be easier, and you could go on holiday without feeding it.
25:29Yeah, that's true.
25:30I suppose that's a plus.
25:33Maybe it would be a little bit easier to look after, perhaps.
25:37I don't know.
25:38But, you know, you don't get the love and the care from something robotic, do you, compared
25:43to the real thing?
25:46Some very divisive opinions there, but the majority of people, they want their fluffy
25:51companions.
25:52We've got yours on the screen here.
25:53Oh, Roxy.
25:54She's four years old.
25:55She's got a big smile on her face.
25:57And it's that thing, right, where I could give you a bunch of facts or statistics, but
26:02at the end of the day, people just love their dogs, their pets, their fluffy animals.
26:07I mean, we have yours on screen, Abby.
26:09Would you swap out that for a robot?
26:13I don't think anybody at home would swap him out for a robot.
26:16Come on.
26:17He's one of the office favourites, but we've got to make way for Luna, too.
26:20Of course.
26:21But, I mean, like, a Roomba does clean up after itself.
26:24Yeah, robots probably can clean up.
26:26So you're probably saving on, I mean, are you saving on money if you've got to fix them?
26:30What if the robot breaks?
26:31Exactly.
26:32But then again, no kennels.
26:33You can go on holiday whenever you want to turn it off, leave it on charge overnight.
26:36I think you've been convinced, Dolly.
26:38Well, that's all we've got time for this evening.
26:40Thank you very much for watching.
26:41That's all from us for Kent tonight, this evening.
26:43See you tomorrow.
26:44Bye-bye.
26:56.