Annabel Stock

Oliver Dryden was sentenced to two years and three months in prison at Maidstone Crown Court after pleading guilty to racially aggravated assault, racially aggravated criminal damage and affray. Following a minor collision on Crossways Boulevard in Dartford, Dryden attacked a taxi driver, punching him, dragging him to the ground, kicking him in the face, stamping on his head and racially abusing him. He was arrested in a Bromley pub after police enquiries. Kent Police said the attack was unprovoked, occurred in daylight before witnesses and that the sentence should reassure the victim that Dryden had been held accountable.

Bronze deer sculptures worth several thousand pounds were stolen from the garden of a residential property on Eglantine Lane in Horton Kirby, near Dartford, at around 10:50 p.m. on July 30, 2026. Kent Police is appealing for witnesses, private CCTV or doorbell footage, and other information, with anonymous reports accepted through Crimestoppers.

A court ordered more than £605,000 in criminal proceeds to be confiscated from Yuan Hang, Lina Wang, and Chung Fu Wang for operating brothels across multiple UK locations and exploiting trafficked women. The investigation, led by Kent Police, uncovered coerced sex work, illegal entry into the UK, and substantial illicit earnings. All three previously pleaded guilty and were imprisoned, with additional confiscation orders now imposed requiring repayment within three months or additional prison time. Police emphasized that the orders prevent the offenders from profiting from exploitation.