Catch up on all the latest news from across the county with Oliver Leader de Saxe.
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00:00Good evening and welcome to Kentonite live here on KMTV.
00:29I'm Oliver, leader of the Saks and here are your top stories on Thursday the 20th of February.
00:357-0 shooting suspect dead. Kent Police confident they've seen the body of a man implicated
00:41in the killing.
00:44Around midday on Saturday we did have a sighting of a body. Unfortunately we were unable to
00:48recover that before it became submerged again.
00:50A growing concern. South East livestock dog attacks on the rise.
00:55Because that is so cruel. That is animal cruelty at its worst.
01:00And going quackers on the streets of Rochester for love your pet day.
01:04I have two other therapy ducks. In total I have 21 ducks.
01:19First tonight we have an update on the Knock Holt shooting. A top Kent police officer says
01:24he's confident that the suspect believed to have shot Lisa Smith outside a pub near
01:28Sevenoaks is dead.
01:31It comes after nearly a week of searching the Thames near Dartford where a vehicle linked
01:35to the killing was last spotted.
01:38But questions of what happened still remain unanswered as Kristen Hawthorne has been finding
01:43out.
01:44The female Lisa was in the pub at the time. She came outside where she was confronted
01:48by the male before being fatally shot.
01:52Four gunshots were fired at the time and unfortunately two of them were fatal to Lisa.
01:56What type of weapon was used?
01:58It was a handgun. A legally held handgun.
02:02After days of searching, police believe that the man suspected of murdering his partner
02:06Lisa Smith on Valentine's Day has died.
02:10On the day of the tragedy, just before midnight on the Dartford crossing, Kent police discovered
02:15the vehicle and firearm believed to be linked to the incident. These are thought to belong
02:19to Lisa's partner, Edward Stockings, who is the prime suspect.
02:24But after days of searching the water with drones, they're confident he is no longer
02:28alive.
02:29Obviously there were concerns of a vehicle that had stopped at the highest point of the
02:32QE2 bridge on Friday evening. A number of witnesses have seen a male alight that vehicle.
02:37We've got CCTV evidence as well which gives me total confidence that the suspect has fallen
02:42into the river.
02:43Around midday on Saturday we did have sighting of a body. Unfortunately we were unable to
02:47recover that before it became submerged again. But I'm confident from the description that
02:51it's the suspect of our offence.
02:53As floral tributes line the scene, the motive behind the shooting remains unclear. But it
02:58is believed that there is no ongoing risk to the community.
03:02We've had a really good response to the witness appeal. Many, many people were there at the
03:07time and I'd like to say thank you to those that attended to Lisa and tried to recover
03:12from her fatal wounds.
03:14The BBC reported that just two hours after the shooting, Stockings made a chilling phone
03:20call to a family friend, saying she's dead, I love you, I'll see you on the other side.
03:27The friend added that he was baffled at what had happened, describing the pair as the life
03:32and soul of the party.
03:34For now, the search for the suspect's body continues while a full inquest into what has
03:39happened is yet to be announced.
03:42Kristin Hawthorne for KMTV.
03:49Well, Kristin Hawthorne joins me in the studio now. Kristin, what more did we learn today
03:55from this fresh interview with Kent Police about the night in question that Lisa Smith
04:01was shot?
04:02Yes, we did learn some details about what happened. First of all, we learned about why
04:07Lisa was in Kent. She was there to visit family and friends. When she went to the pub, around
04:147pm, she went outside where she was confronted by her partner, who we believe to be her partner,
04:19Edward Stockings. She was shot four times, fatally two times. There was about 50 people
04:28in the pub, an off-duty firefighter on the scene, but despite their efforts, she died
04:32on the scene. We can hear from the investigative officer now.
04:37And when officers arrived on the scene, what did they encounter?
04:40A very chaotic incident, as you can imagine. The priority there was to try and recover
04:45Lisa. Unfortunately, she was declared deceased at the time. Yes, there was a member of the
04:50London Fire Brigade was off-duty enjoying his Friday evening and unfortunately, he was
04:55a witness to what happened. I'm grateful to him and many other members of the public then
05:00that stepped in to give Lisa emergency first aid.
05:04So Kristin, what questions still remain unanswered about this? Because we've got a bit more clarity
05:09today, but there's still lots we don't know.
05:12Certainly, there is. So, first of all, although we believe that it is her partner who murdered
05:19Lisa Smith, the police have not actually confirmed the identity of the suspect. They haven't actually
05:28found a body either, although it's been seen and witnesses say that they've seen a man
05:32fall from the bridge. He's actually not been found yet. There's also no inquest date. There
05:40was an initial one, but the full inquest date has not yet been revealed. And we don't know
05:46actually how the handgun was obtained. Although we found out a lot more, there is still a
05:51lot more to find out.
05:52Absolutely. And obviously, it's a very tragic set of events. It shocked the entire community
05:56in Sevenoaks. We'll be following this story very closely as we learn more details about
06:01the circumstances that led up to this event. Kristin Hawthorne, thanks so much for joining
06:04me on the sofa.
06:07Now next tonight, after numerous reports of antisocial behaviour in Sittingbourne, Kent
06:11police have extended their original two-day dispersal order by an extra 48 hours. These
06:19are not actually the right pictures for this story, if we can take them down off screen.
06:26Basically what's been happening in Sittingbourne recently is lots of antisocial behaviour.
06:30Young people attacking vehicles and structures across the town. The order was enforced from
06:357.30 on the 18th of February. It was going to originally be lifted at the same time.
06:40That's been extended for an extra two days. We'll go on to the next story now.
06:49Next tonight, a huge emergency response has been spotted on Penkester Road in Dover. These
06:57are the right videos this time and the video shows that paramedics, the fire service and
07:01police were all called to the town centre just before 4pm with eyewitnesses saying there
07:06were at least 11 paramedic cars on the scene. Kent Online understands several people have
07:11been taken to hospital but this has not yet been confirmed. Emergency services have been
07:16contacted for more information. For all the latest updates on this story, just head over
07:20to Kent Online.
07:26In other council-related news, a housing development on the Kent and East Sussex border has been
07:31withdrawn after a nearly 10-year battle. Wielding District Council approved the development
07:36in 2020, but they were set to refuse it following a four-year wait for a legal document to be
07:42signed. Last night, developers stopped the need for this by withdrawing it. They previously
07:47said they had concerns over land contamination. 159 homes were proposed. They thought a fresh
07:52proposal could come in the not-too-distant future.
07:58The number of farm animals in Kent and the South East severely injured or killed in dog
08:02attacks last year went up by 23%. The National Farmers Union are urging dog owners to keep
08:09their pets on a lead in farming fields with livestock after nearly 60% admitted in a survey
08:14that they let them roam free in the countryside. It comes as a new bill will give police more
08:20power in these cases. It's making its way through Parliament. Abbey Hook has been learning
08:25about the risks associated ahead of lambing season.
08:29Cruel and dangerous. The words from Kent farmers is the cost of dog attacks has risen by more
08:38than 20%. New data from the National Farmers Union say farm animals in the South East worth
08:44an estimated £139,000 were severely injured or killed in 2024. That's an increase of 23%
08:54or £25,000 on the previous year. For sheep farmers in Romney Marsh, they say the problem
09:01comes around every year and have experienced first-hand both the financial and emotional
09:07implications when a sheep is attacked and left.
09:11I'm usually pretty strong at this, but I cried. But I cried with anger because that
09:17is so cruel. That is animal cruelty at its worst, walking away from an injured animal.
09:24That person could have made an anonymous phone call. Because of the location of where the
09:29sheep were at the time, we were only checking them every other day. That sheep, them sheep,
09:33could have been like that for two days.
09:37NFU Mutual's new survey revealed that in fact 57% of people let their dogs off lead
09:43in the countryside. Just 40% said their pet always comes back. 43% believed their dog
09:51could be capable of killing or injuring livestock.
09:55I don't understand why people are not seeing the danger. It's all right. My dogs are fantastic.
10:00But I wouldn't dream of taking my dogs to the farm. I just wouldn't. You know, I take
10:05my dogs to places where there is fields for them to run and no livestock. Why can people
10:11not see even the perfect dog can turn?
10:16Farmers are legally permitted to protect their livestock and have steps they can take if
10:20a dog is harming their flock.
10:23Shooting a dog is an absolute last resort. It's a horrible, horrible thing to do. It's
10:29not something you want to do because you know that's somebody's pride and joy quite often.
10:33But there can be times when there is nothing else you can do. I mean, we've had times when
10:40dogs have come back and come back and come back and have killed and killed and killed.
10:46And in the end, it's the only thing you can do. And we have had times when it's been very
10:50bad and to the point where we really were questioning ourselves as to whether we were
10:57being irresponsible keeping sheep because it was just putting them in danger.
11:02I mean, that was a long time ago, but that time we lost 130 sheep to dog attacks.
11:10The National Sheep Association recommends that farmers only shoot dogs at a last resort.
11:16The legality depends on whether a farmer had a lawful excuse for shooting the dog in that
11:20circumstance.
11:21But as lambing season approaches, Kent's farmers are hoping the message to keep dogs on leads
11:28stays.
11:29Abby Hook for KMTV.
11:34A really important one in a rural county like this one. We have a short break now. Coming
11:39up afterwards, our medical expert Julian Spinks discusses the long term effects of vaping
11:45and the Oscars race. What is it looking like? Stick with us to find out all about it.
14:59Welcome back to Kent tonight, live here on KMTV. Now, the government is backing a new
15:19study to track the long term effects of vaping on young people, a big issue here in the county.
15:25Looking at 100,000 young people over the course of 10 years, from the age of 8 to 18, they
15:31will all have their health, well-being and other behaviours monitored.
15:35So we caught up with the Medway GP, Julian Spinks, on the Kent Morning Show earlier today
15:41to learn what the benefits could be of the study.
15:45I think it's fantastic news.
15:48Most of us now know cigarette smoking is dangerous, and that came from research which did a
15:53similar thing following up, in that case actually bus drivers, over a number of years and they
15:57could see the difference. I have been on this programme many times actually saying, well, we
16:02really don't know whether vapes are safe in the long term.
16:05We think they're safer than smoking, but how dangerous they are or how safe they are is very
16:11difficult. Following things up over 10 years gives us a good idea of the situation.
16:16And because we're most worried about children and teenagers taking up vaping, that's the group
16:21we need to target and that's what this research does.
16:24We've actually heard from Mike Cameron, so he's the co-founder of Smoko.
16:28It's a vape shop in Tunbridge Wells.
16:30I think we can play a clip of an interview with him here to get that sort of side of the debate
16:34and we'll pick up after that.
16:36In a lot of these articles, no one's talking about cigarettes or the effect of cigarettes.
16:42They're only talking about vapes versus not vaping.
16:46And I think it's always important to understand that, you know, the vapes are here to help
16:51adult smokers quit smoking.
16:52So if you're going to write a non-biased article as a journalist, then you should report the
16:58other side of the coin.
16:59You know, why is this product here and what are the benefits or the positive effects of it?
17:04Julian, that's a good point from Mike there, is that, of course, it's the conversations we
17:08have around vapes.
17:09What are we comparing it to?
17:11Are we talking them as standalone or are we talking them in comparison to smoking?
17:14I think one of the issues many people would raise in response to Mike there is that children
17:19are just picking up vaping.
17:20They may have never even smoked before, really young children, and they're just picking it
17:24up.
17:25And there's a lot of discussion about the fruity flavours, of course.
17:30You're absolutely right.
17:31And as I said earlier, we really don't know.
17:33And I'm reasonably confident that they're going to be much safer than cigarettes.
17:37And so helping to quit is a great idea.
17:40I do worry about children and teenagers taking it up because they may be setting themselves
17:45up to lifelong nicotine addiction.
17:48And we really don't know.
17:50It might turn out in 10 years' time that they're totally safe and that will be good news.
17:54But at least we'll have an ability in a few years' time to be able to have a conversation
17:59and say, this is the risk of taking up vaping or actually you're OK.
18:04And for more health news impacting the county, head to our website, kntv.co.uk, where you
18:10find reports all about what you need to know, including the rise of weight loss drugs here
18:14in Kent.
18:16The new mechanism for prescribing these drugs has really come about because we need to make
18:22sure that they're used safely, that the right people get them at the right dose and they're
18:28monitored to make sure they stay safe whilst they're taking them.
18:31Weight loss jabs will now require stricter prescribing criteria for online pharmacies.
18:37They will now have to use stricter checks like in-person or video consultations to verify
18:42the body mass index, along with an assessment from a GP or with past medical records.
18:49In the UK, just a small percentage of people are taking the weight loss jab, but it could
18:53soon become less as the NHS have announced that it will be more difficult to get to protect
18:58those who may want to take it unhealthily.
19:00I've been speaking to people who have their own story with the treatment.
19:04There's got to be a line.
19:05There are people using it who don't need it.
19:06There are people who've got a couple of pounds extra on them thinking, I need to lose this
19:09and taking the injection.
19:10It's pointless, those kind of people using it, but for people that are, I was struggling.
19:14My health was bad, really bad.
19:16Walking up and down stairs, putting my socks on, doing my shoes up was hard work.
19:20So for me, it's fantastic.
19:21The fact that I can bend down and do my own shoes up is amazing.
19:23At my age, it's been a fantastic thing.
19:27Should they make it a bit harder?
19:28Probably yes, but for the right people.
19:31There should be more hoops you have to go through.
19:33You shouldn't just be able to go, here you go, there it is, because you could just get
19:38someone else to stand on a scale, send it to wherever you're going to get it from online,
19:43and they're not going to know any different.
19:44They're just going to think that's you.
19:46Any pharmacist who provides the drug without following the new guidelines could face investigations.
19:52While the drug has many benefits, such as helping with diabetes, heart health and blood
19:56pressure, many people use it for its weight loss side effects, which has since led to
20:01global shortages and counterfeit versions of the product.
20:05By making the jab harder to get, what benefits, if any, will this have on public health?
20:11Until now, the danger has been that people have been able to circumvent those safety
20:16mechanisms either by being untruthful when they're talking to online pharmacists or because
20:23online pharmacists have issued without carrying out the correct checks.
20:27Neil and Debbie from Gillingham Street Angels get their information and support from online
20:31groups and influencers, but say that while this has its benefits, it's not enough.
20:36A whole community of people taking these injections on TikTok, and you look at some people and
20:40you think, why?
20:41Why are you doing it?
20:42You don't need to do it, you know, you're just normal kind of size.
20:45Don't get any support.
20:46There is no, there's no support, they just send you the injection, that's it.
20:50And basically you're just left to get on with it.
20:52So if you're thinking of trying the medication, you will now have to speak to your GP instead
20:57of filling out an online form.
20:59Tristan Hawthorne for CAMTV in Renham.
21:04Now from the historic Chatham Dockyard to the Port of Dover, the globe-trotting James
21:08Bond franchise is a key part of Kent's film history, but surprising news today now raises
21:13questions about what's next for 007.
21:16And with the BAFTAs just wrapped, I called up the show's presenter, Chris Deasy, to discuss
21:22what the news means for film lovers here in the county.
21:26Well Chris, it's the quintessential British franchise, it's been filmed here in Kent on
21:31several different occasions.
21:33What's up with James Bond?
21:35Well who would have thought that we haven't had a Bond film since, well, 2021.
21:41But of course it should have come out a year or so earlier because of lockdown.
21:46And we still don't know who the next Bond is going to be.
21:48But we find out today that the producers, Michael Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, are leaving
21:52after all these many decades.
21:54Of course Barbara Broccoli's father started the whole franchise in 1962.
21:59She's been involved since his death in the mid-90s.
22:02And now we learn that Amazon are going to take full creative control of the next steps.
22:10So I wouldn't be surprised if we find out sooner rather than later, because we have
22:14been waiting for about three or four years to find out who is going to be the post-Daniel
22:20Craig incarnation of 007.
22:23So Chris, what would your predictions be?
22:24If you put money on it, who would you think is going to be the next James Bond?
22:29Well back in 2021, Nicholas Hoult was mentioned as an outside favourite, but he's done so
22:33well in recent years.
22:35He's had quite a lot of name recognition, because I always remember him from About a
22:39Boy when he played with Tony Collette and Hugh Grant in the early 2000s.
22:45People like Idris Elba, they were favourites about four years ago.
22:48I'm not so sure now, Tom Hardy is another name that was there.
22:53Or it might be, and probably will be, a name that nobody was really expecting.
22:58Because years ago, when Timothy Dalton got the gig in, what, 1987, Sam Neill was one
23:05of the other people who went for it.
23:06It's hard now to look back and imagine Sam Neill as a Bond.
23:10So it might come from somebody that isn't on anybody's list at the moment.
23:14Talking of things you may not expect, were there any surprises at the BAFTAs earlier
23:19this week?
23:20Because we heard a bunch of winners, a bunch of names that have been in the awards contention
23:26for a while now.
23:28Any surprises for you?
23:29Well, definitely in the Best Actress category, Mikey Madison's surprise win for a very good
23:33performance in Enora.
23:35And because just a couple of months ago, we were all thinking, gosh, Demi Moore never
23:38really been nominated for anything, and she's been making films since the 80s.
23:43She may still win the Oscar in just over a week's time.
23:46But now I think the field is wide open.
23:48I think the last time I remember it being really wide open, when it was a three-horse
23:52race, was way back in, well, 2003, when Bill Murray and Johnny Depp and the winner, Sean
24:00Penn, were in contention.
24:02And a few years ago, we thought maybe Lady Gaga or Glenn Close or Olivia Colman would
24:06win.
24:07So it could be another year like that.
24:10And now the weather.
24:17Tonight, mild temperatures of 11 to 12 degrees across the county, over a cloudy and breezy
24:23night and a misty one in Royal Chambers Wells.
24:25Tomorrow morning, warming up slightly, clouds across the county, with some sun peeking through
24:30as well.
24:31In the afternoon, that sun still there, the clouds as well.
24:34Temperatures still rising to around 14 degrees over in Medway.
24:38And for the weekend, we're looking at a rainy one, with temperatures around 12 to 11 degrees,
24:43cloudy by Monday, that rain going away.
24:55Have you found yourself treating your furry friend even more like the king or queen of
24:59the house today?
25:00It's probably because they are.
25:02In fact, 66% of us admit loving them as much, if not more than, a human family member.
25:08But today is love your pet day, so we can all get away with it.
25:12Just like some of you in Rochester, not all of us have a pet duck.
25:18This is Pinky, she's a Peking duck, but she's a meet and greet therapy duck.
25:23I have two other therapy ducks, in total I have 21 ducks.
25:27I have a pet, his name is Hugo, he's a cockapoo, and he's my world.
25:31I don't have any pets at the moment, but I really like the look of Bernie's Mountain
25:35Dogs.
25:36My partner keeps saying no, because they're too big, but I used to have Peony Mountain
25:40Dogs growing up, so that's why I would love one of them.
25:43They're more like family, sons and daughters, they're not pets.
25:47When you open the door and you're greeted by your pet, he's just, you know, it instantly
25:52makes you smile.
25:53You know, he's there, he greets you, he's just so pleased that you're coming back into
25:57the house.
25:58A bit of companionship, take him out for walks, and yeah, a good bit of company.
26:03It doesn't matter if you've had a bad day, it doesn't matter, you know, what's gone on,
26:08he's just there, and it just makes you smile.
26:10Well, they're just a friendly face when you come through the door, aren't they?
26:14Help you de-stress when you get home, petting them, loving them, you know, all that sort
26:17of thing.
26:18Taking it out, walking, which I think you'd probably be doing any day, but maybe it would
26:22deserve a special treat on a day like today.
26:24No, well, they get treated every day.
26:26Every day, the ducks do get two bags of peas, honeydew, melon, and an iceberg lettuce, plus
26:34their normal foods.
26:36Their food bill per month is more than nine, but they're worth it.
26:39Well, that's all from us tonight on Kent Tonight.
26:43More news at 7am tomorrow morning on the Kent Morning Show.
26:46See you soon.