Meridian Charing

An Ashford man has been found guilty of 14 charges of rape, attempted rape, sexual assault and assault on four women.

Canterbury Crown Court heard how Jeremy Philip Smith, 52, of Pett Lane, Charing carried out the offences between 2005 and 2010.

Detective Sergeant Matt Banks, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: ‘Smith is a violent, sexually aggressive, controlling man who overpowered these women and subjected them to horrendous ordeals."

Sentencing will take place in mid-August.

A rare Chinese bowl has failed to sell at auction in Canterbury, despite its identical twin selling for nearly £200,000. The matching Imperial Chinese bowl was part of a collection formerly owned by a businessman from Charing.

A retired businessman has found the twin to a rare Chinese bowl which fetched almost two hundred thousands pounds at auction. The second bowl could go for the same amount when it goes under the hammer in Canterbury next week.

Click here to find out more about the unlikely discovery of the first bowl.

A retired businessman has found the twin to a rare Chinese bowl which fetched almost two hundred thousands pounds at auction.

A teenage girl and a 20-year-old man who died when their car left a road in Kent and crashed into a tree have been named locally.

Amy Clark, 17, and Rob Wiltshire were discovered inside the Ford Fiesta by a passing motorist near Charing Crematorium in Kent just after 10pm on Saturday.

Miss Clark, from the Ashford area, and Mr Wiltshire, from the Maidstone area, who was in the passenger seat, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Their next of kin have been informed, although the pair, who were believed to have been partners, have not been formally identified by Kent Police.

Tributes have been paid on social media websites, including Twitter. One wrote: "RIP Amy Clark and Rob Wiltshire. Far too young to die. God only takes the best."

The Maidstone-bound carriageway was closed for around four hours while officers investigated the collision and recovered the car.

Police in Kent are tonight investigating how two young people died after their car left the road and smashed into a tree.

The wreckage was found by a passing motorist. The A20 just outside Charing was closed for four hours while emergency services worked at the scene.

Iain McBride reports.

Police would like to hear from anyone witnesses, or anyone who may have the seen the car in the area before the accident occurred. The witness appeal line telephone number is 01622 798538.

Kent Police have spent the day examining the scene of a fatal car crash in which two young people died. The Ford Fiesta they were travelling in left the carriageway of the A20 between Ashford and Maidstone on the evening of Saturday 29th December, and hit a tree.

The incident happened on the Maidstone-bound side of the A20 Ashford Road near Charing Crematorium. A passing motorist saw the vehicle just after 10 pm and reported it.

The driver was a 17-year-old woman from the Ashford area. Her passenger was a 20-year-old man from the Maidstone area. They were both pronounced dead at the scene. Their families have been informed.

The Maidstone-bound side of the A20 was closed until 2 am on Sunday 30th December while officers investigated the collision and carried out recovery work.

Police would like to hear from anyone witnesses, or anyone who may have the seen the car in the area before the accident occurred. The witness appeal line telephone number is 01622 798538.

The driver, a 17-year-old woman from the Ashford area, and a 20-year-old man from the Maidstone area, who was in the passenger seat, were both pronounced dead at the scene.

The Maidstone-bound carriageway was closed until 2am today while officers investigated the collision and recovered the car.

Police would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the collision or may have seen the Fiesta in the area at the time.

The witness appeal line is 01622 798538.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a 43-year-old man was injured as he tried to prevent thieves from stealing his van near his home in Rye.

The victim was told men were trying to break into his Toyota Hilux van in Rye Harbour Road just before midnight on Saturday, 11th August.

He went out to investigate and was confronted by men, who drove at him with their dark coloured car. He jumped out of the way and was shot at with an air rifle suffering injuries to his face. The callous thieves then towed away his van, which has an Environment Agency sign on it, and made off.

The victim is being treated for his injuries at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and his condition is stable.