Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Bartholomew Hall.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live on KMTV.
00:28I'm Bartholomew Hall.
00:29Here are your top stories on Wednesday 11th March.
00:33Calls to quit.
00:34No Smoking Day research reveals full cost of smoking in Kent.
00:41Whitstable's hidden millionaire revealed.
00:44Discovered the woman who left hundreds of thousands to Kent charities after fleeing
00:48Nazi Germany.
00:51And spring has sprung in Medway as a top five town's florist gives his flower arranging
00:57tips.
00:58But before all of that, a random man who denied stabbing his mum to death has been
01:03found guilty of manslaughter at Maidstone Crown Court with Lesley Burnett, who suffers
01:08from psychosis and schizophrenia, set to be sentenced in May later this year.
01:13Our reporter Oliver Leder de Sacks joined me earlier with the details.
01:16Oli, take us through what happened throughout the trial.
01:20So Bartholomew, a very tragic case this one regarding Jamie Burnett, a 32-year-old man
01:27who stabbed his mum, Lesley Spearing, to death.
01:31He was on trial at Maidstone Crown Court, but was given the lesser charge of manslaughter
01:37but found guilty of that earlier today after nearly 10 hours of deliberation.
01:43And it is quite tragic.
01:45Jamie suffered with psychosis and schizophrenia, is living in supported accommodation in Chatham
01:53at the time.
01:54After leaving his mother's house after stabbing her with a serrated knife, he made two 999
02:00calls to the Kent police and to the South East Coast Ambulance Service, where he said
02:06he could not care less if the patient was breathing.
02:11There were concerns about his behaviour.
02:12He was told that he could not live with his mother, his behaviour was too volatile.
02:19There were many warning signs leading up to the incident in question.
02:24OK, and what do we know in terms of sentencing about what could happen next, obviously, for
02:30the charge of manslaughter?
02:32So he was due to be sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on May 21st.
02:37The judge addressed the jury and said it was an extremely difficult case that they had
02:41to weigh up on here, a tragic case in so many ways.
02:47We won't know the full details of the charges until it goes to that sentencing.
02:53We do know some of the details about what happened in the lead up to this incident,
03:00how he told his aunt that he could cause maximum damage with a bladed article, but we won't
03:06know the full extent of the sentencing until May.
03:09OK, Olly, thank you very much for those details.
03:1243% of smokers believe their addiction prevents them from embracing life.
03:21Quitting can save an average of £2,500 per year, typically saving smokers £46 per week.
03:28The data comes out on No Smoking Day, which was designed to help the UK's 6 million smokers
03:34to give up altogether.
03:36With plenty of places in Kent set to become no-smoke zones in the near future, how do
03:40people on the streets of Rochester think a total ban would affect smokers?
03:48I don't think you should take it away from people, I think you should give them an area
03:52still and it's their choice, but to take it away completely on the streets or in pubs,
03:59gardens, I'd agree, because the social life is just going to go, everyone's going to be
04:05staying away.
04:06Pubs are going to close, pubs are going to close.
04:09No, no, I mean, to be quite honest, to walk down a street and have a trade of smoke, no.
04:13I think it's quite a good idea, to be fair.
04:15Well, I think if it's not interfering with other people, leave them alone, let them smoke.
04:20I mean, they've banned it inside and I understand that, because it is unpleasant.
04:26I used to smoke years ago, we all did, I mean, it was the norm.
04:31Now it's not acceptable and you see these poor people standing outside shops going...
04:38bus stations, no, I think they should be allowed to smoke as long as they're not smoking over other people.
04:44Yeah, I don't think it's a bad idea at all.
04:46People are quite respectful nowadays, I mean, we haven't walked down here today.
04:50No, no, but it is midweek, isn't it?
04:53But no, so I don't think you should take it away entirely.
04:57Well, to explain more about some of the dangers surrounding smoking here in the county,
05:00we were joined earlier by Dr Emeka Orokotcha.
05:05You've previously worked in Kent hospitals, you've seen the impacts that smoking has firsthand.
05:10What can you tell us about what you've seen?
05:14So we know that when it comes to smoking, it's the single most preventable cause
05:18for death and disability in the UK.
05:21And the thing is, medicine is obviously very vast,
05:23but you can see the effects of smoking in almost every different area.
05:26So I've worked in A&E, acute medicine, and I've seen the cause of smoking
05:31in terms of people coming in with strokes and heart attacks,
05:34obesity-related disease, smoking-related disease, respiratory issues.
05:37And obviously, we know that's related to smoking.
05:39And when you look at chronic disease, I'm working in general practice right now,
05:44and chronically, you look at the issues that people have with morbidity
05:48and then later mortality.
05:49And obviously, a lot of this is caused by smoking.
05:53And what tips would you give to somebody?
05:55Somebody's watching this this morning on their sofa, they are a smoker.
05:58What would you say to them this morning?
06:01Honestly, I know no two smokers are the same.
06:03However, it's about overcoming barriers and seeking help where possible.
06:07A lot of people try and quit alone, and this is why they fail.
06:10And the minute you fail, you're obviously going to be, you know,
06:12a little dejected, and you might not want to try again.
06:14But the main thing is seek resources.
06:16So the NHS has a bunch of free resources, such as the NHS Quit Smoking app,
06:21which I advise anyone who smokes or knows someone who smokes to try,
06:24or go on Better Health and Quit Smoking on the NHS on the website,
06:28where there's so many different resources about stuff you can do,
06:30accountability partners, people you can talk to.
06:33And then it tells you a little bit about smoking,
06:35nicotine-free medicines, and adjuncts you can try.
06:38And there's so many different ways,
06:39because we know not every way will suit everyone.
06:41So please, at least try something and seeking some information today.
06:44And do you think maybe bans in certain areas on the high street
06:48might actually have an effect and encourage people not to smoke?
06:53Of course, an effect and encourage people not to smoke.
06:56Of course, banning it will help.
06:58However, it won't serve the long-term issue,
07:00because as we know, people will just find cigarettes from elsewhere.
07:03It's more about getting into the psyche of the people who smoke
07:05and actually giving them the empowerment
07:07to actually want to make a change,
07:09rather than forcing them to make a change.
07:11I feel like phasing out nicotine products and tobacco products
07:14and vaping over time, obviously,
07:16is going to help in terms of the preventative aspect for the youth
07:19and people going forward for the rest of the country in the future.
07:22However, now we need to encourage and empower people who smoke
07:25to actually take their life back
07:27by finding different ways that they themselves can stop.
07:30Yeah, you mentioned vaping there.
07:32That seems to be growing in huge popularities,
07:36particularly, actually, with some people who have never vaped,
07:38who have never smoked before.
07:40I know the NHS does sometimes advise people who are ex-smokers
07:43to go into vaping.
07:45Is it safe to vape?
07:46Is it better to pick up a vape
07:48than it is to pick up a cigarette right now?
07:52Well, now this is where the misinformation
07:55and the misconception comes.
07:56So in the NHS, we do advise people who are heavy smokers
08:00and ex-smokers to try vaping as an alternative,
08:03as a tool to then stop smoking.
08:05So, for example, vaping could help you in terms of your addiction
08:10and you can then try that as an adjunct
08:12with nicotine replacement therapy.
08:14So we encourage this in certain aspects.
08:17However, we don't encourage people who have never smoked
08:19to then take up vaping.
08:20And we've seen this, especially in the younger population
08:23with fads and trends and people thinking it's cool
08:26to vape and this is what we kind of want to stop going forward.
08:29Because it's said almost one in four young people
08:32between the age of 14 and 19 have tried vaping
08:35and the accessibility of it in shops all around the corners
08:38doesn't really help either.
08:40Yes, and in terms of smoking,
08:42so six million people, that is quite a big number.
08:45I'm not sure of the number in Kent,
08:47but I'm sure it's quite a lot.
08:48How are we going to tackle that big number?
08:53So the main thing is obviously to educate
08:55and that's one of the reasons I'm here.
08:57Because as a doctor, we know not only the medical benefits
09:00of stopping smoking,
09:01the social benefits of stopping smoking,
09:03the financial benefits of stopping smoking.
09:05However, and it sounds a little bit morbid,
09:07but we know what smoking can lead to
09:09in terms of chronic disease and ultimately death.
09:13And that's why we try and encourage people.
09:14And that's why the NHS are putting out campaigns
09:16and videos of what can happen if you keep smoking
09:19and then talking to people for anecdotal evidence
09:21of just how their lives have changed
09:23when they've actually stopped.
09:24So it's a push and pull factors,
09:26pushing you to stop and pulling you away from cigarettes
09:29with a number of different resources of information
09:31and a number of different ways to quit.
09:34Now, as negotiations continue on the global stage
09:37to bring the war in Ukraine to an end,
09:40one Kent MP has been raising humanitarian concerns
09:43in parliament.
09:44Earlier today, Mike Martin,
09:45the Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells
09:48and member of the Defence Select Committee
09:50questioned the Prime Minister
09:51on the kidnapping of Ukrainian children
09:53by Russian forces.
09:55Let's see their full exchange in the House of Commons.
09:58Mike Martin.
10:00Thank you, Mr Speaker.
10:01Russia has abducted at least 19,000 Ukrainian children
10:06and transferred them to Russia.
10:09They have been told that their parents don't love them.
10:13They've been placed in Russian homes
10:15and they have been re-educated.
10:17For this despicable crime and others,
10:20the International Criminal Court
10:21has issued six arrest warrants
10:23for Vladimir Putin and his gang.
10:26I note the Prime Minister's previous
10:27fulsome support for the ICC
10:30and I also note his comments just last night
10:33about the support that the UK will offer to Ukraine
10:36in achieving a just and lasting peace.
10:40Will the Prime Minister confirm to the House
10:42that British peacekeeping troops
10:43will only be deployed to Ukraine
10:45if the peacekeeping deal includes
10:47both the return of Ukraine's children
10:51and Putin's prosecution?
10:53Do.
10:55Well, Mr Speaker, firstly I thank you
10:57for raising this issue
10:59because it is an absolutely terrible case
11:03of abduction and kidnapping.
11:06And when we say a lasting, just settlement
11:10or peace in Ukraine,
11:11it must of course involve dealing with this issue
11:15and we are, as he would expect,
11:18raising it continually with our allies.
11:20On David.
11:23Coming up after the break,
11:25we'll be finding out
11:25the extraordinary secret millionaire
11:28who left thousands of pounds to charitable causes
11:31after escaping Nazi Germany
11:33and given that it's National Plant a Flower Day,
11:36what tips and tricks at home do you need to know?
11:40Me personally, well I don't have a garden
11:41but I used to have a garden
11:43and I used to plant plenty of flowers.
11:45Good discussion we're about to hear.
11:46See you in just a few moments.
14:50Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
15:16Now don't forget you can keep up to date
15:18with all your latest stories across Kent
15:19by logging on to our website kmtv.co.uk.
15:23There you'll find all of our reports
15:24including this one about a crossroad closure
15:27in the heart of Hawkerst.
15:29Diversions, temporary lights and long tailbacks
15:32seem to be coming more than a familiar sight in Kent.
15:37Many motorists saying they go on
15:38for an unnecessary length of time.
15:42Hawkerst and villages around
15:44are preparing for a 12 week closure at this junction
15:47for new efficient traffic lights to be installed.
15:50We don't yet know how the buses are going to get through.
15:54It's exam time so parents are really worried
15:59about getting their children to school
16:01and it's just the chaos that it will cause.
16:04The works will be carried out across three months
16:07with six week phase closures
16:09of the northbound and southbound roads.
16:12You can see it's already busy
16:14and the roadworks aren't due to start
16:15until the end of March.
16:18With the routes up to Maystone
16:19and down to Hastings closing,
16:22locals say where are all these vehicles going to go?
16:26The thought is they might go down
16:28the official diversion through Goudhurst
16:30which already has troubles
16:31or they might take small little rat runs around Hawkerst.
16:36We've got a lot of narrow lanes with potholes etc
16:40and I think there's going to be an awful lot of traffic
16:43that will run through those
16:46and it's going to create havoc.
16:48Goudhurst is infamous for its traffic problems
16:51especially lorries getting stuck on this bend
16:55and for people living here
16:56they're now concerned about the impact
16:58this could bring on their community.
17:01I think we will get some jam ups
17:03and we will get a lot of freight tempers
17:06and people will use the alternatives
17:08and they will be,
17:11one doesn't want to call it road rage
17:13but they will be getting rather fed up
17:16and being stacked up.
17:17And for these local councillors
17:18they say they weren't consulted on the proposals
17:22and are only now learning
17:23of how the works will be carried out.
17:26So what you'd like to see is local councillors
17:29influencing how long, where these roadworks take place.
17:33Is this something that should become the norm across Kent?
17:35I think it's critical.
17:36We're now having 16,000 roadwork closes every year in Kent.
17:42Five years ago we had a meeting with developers
17:45or with the gas company here
17:47and we had an 11-week project moved in time
17:52and changed to a five-week project
17:54which made a huge difference to the community.
17:56Kent County Council says the works are being carried out
17:59by a third-party developer
18:01and they would lead on the consultation and engagement
18:04ahead of the permit application.
18:07But local councillors are hoping to meet with KCC
18:10later this month and a developer to find solutions.
18:15Gabriel Morris in Hawkerst.
18:22Now Whitstable is known for its oysters and its seafront
18:25but one local has kept a secret.
18:27She was in fact a millionaire.
18:29Hilda Levy fled Nazi Germany.
18:32She lived quietly in Whitstable
18:33and after her passing left £1.4 million
18:37to different Kent charities.
18:38Well the Kent and Canterbury Hospital
18:41also received its largest ever donation, £500,000
18:45which helped it to go on and buy vital medical equipment.
18:48Finn McDermid has been uncovering the incredible story
18:51of Whitstable's hidden millionaire.
18:53Whitstable is mainly known around Kent for oysters,
18:56its seafront and as a summer holiday destination
18:58but one local who lived there never revealed
19:01she was actually a millionaire until she passed away.
19:04She fled Nazi Germany, became a millionaire
19:06and chose to give her wealth away in her will
19:08to supporting local causes in and around Whitstable.
19:12Hilda Levy passed away in a care home in Manchester back in 2022
19:16but it wasn't until semi-recently
19:18that people realised just how much money she actually had
19:20with the friends of Kent and Canterbury Hospital
19:23receiving a £500,000 gift from Hilda in her will,
19:26their largest ever single legacy.
19:29They received the money at the end of the process of the will
19:31with it already being paid into their account
19:34with some saying that they didn't even know who she was
19:36until they received the money.
19:38It was actually quite funny because when we first got the letter
19:42we weren't quite sure whether we got half a million
19:46or 30% of half a million.
19:49So we were sort of, when we realised it was half a million
19:52we couldn't believe it, everybody was absolutely astonished
19:54and so pleased because it's a huge sum of money
19:57that can do an awful lot of good
19:58and buy really, really big equipment.
20:01Hilda also gave money to the charity Age UK
20:04and the Friends of Whitstable Healthcare
20:06who say they'll use the donation to buy a new x-ray machine
20:08for the Estuary View Medical Centre.
20:11One Whitstable local and social history enthusiast, Julie Hunt,
20:14took it upon herself to research Hilda
20:17using publicly available documents and information
20:19to trace the course of her life.
20:21Julie noticed that one of her husband's ancestors
20:23shared a last name with Hilda
20:25which got her interested in her life
20:27and using records she was able to work out
20:29that her parents were Dr. Friedrich Hermann Levi and Irma.
20:32In 1941, she was a student at Redhill School in Sutton in Kent
20:36and was interred as a refugee
20:38with many of her family dying
20:40during the Holocaust in the Second World War.
20:43She also discovered that she worked as a secretary in Maidstone
20:46and for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Office in Westminster.
20:49Julie believes that the source of Hilda's fortune
20:51could come from her uncle
20:52who ran a company that imported and exported coffee.
20:55He died a bachelor and split his wealth between his family
20:58and various charitable causes just like Hilda.
21:01The Kent charities that she gave money to
21:03all have praised her generosity
21:05especially as many didn't even meet her
21:07and Hilda Levi's name will become far better known in Whitstable
21:10as their hidden millionaire.
21:12Finn McDermid for KMTV.
21:16Now let's take a look at the weather.
21:22Tonight there's going to be scattered clouds,
21:24temperatures of three and four degrees across the county.
21:28Moving into the morning,
21:29some light showers in the east joined by clouds
21:31and similar temperatures.
21:32Winds speeds rising to 10 and 11 miles per hour though.
21:36And in the afternoon, that rain migrating to the west,
21:39temperatures of around seven and six degrees
21:42in Medway and Tunbridge Wells.
21:43And here's your outlook.
21:44Friday and Saturday will be partly cloudy
21:47but the weekend is ending with some sunshine.
21:49Highs of eight on Friday rising to nine over the weekend.
21:58Finally from us, it's National Plant a Flower Day
22:01and as we start to see the spring blooms
22:03popping up across the county,
22:05we're being reminded to give back to nature.
22:08It's also a chance to take in the beauty of flowers
22:10and the importance of looking after the environment
22:12especially here in the Garden of England.
22:14And it is on that note that we spoke to people in Rochester
22:17about what their favourite flowers are.
22:21What's your favourite flower?
22:22Alliums.
22:23My favourite flower is daisy.
22:25Orchid.
22:27Colour and the structure of them.
22:30I like the structure of them, yeah, basically, yeah.
22:33And I would say all tips.
22:35All flowers, nothing grey.
22:38Big, big, big, big fan of the fuchsia myself.
22:42Well, to find out the best way
22:43to look after our flowers this spring,
22:45we caught up with Anthony Brown,
22:46a fifth generation florist based in Gillingham
22:49to get all his family learnt tricks and tips.
22:52Okay, for cut flowers,
22:55the most important thing to do is to,
22:57when you receive cut flowers,
23:00to make sure that you adhere to the care instructions
23:03that's supplied with them,
23:05namely that they are recuts
23:07before they're put into fresh water,
23:10that the vase or the receptacle
23:12that they're being put into
23:13is the right size and height for them
23:16so that they can't droop.
23:18And that you use the flower food accordingly.
23:22And that you change the water regularly
23:24so that you get optimum use of the blooms.
23:28And with plants, so go on.
23:31Well, no, I was just going to say,
23:34March is such a beautiful time for flowers.
23:36What sort of things should we be thinking about
23:38at this time of year
23:39when it comes to flowers and planting?
23:43Okay, so with cut flowers,
23:45all the spring flowers are available at the moment.
23:47So ranunculus, tulips, daffodils,
23:51stalks are available as well, iris.
23:54So lots and lots of spring flowers around
23:56as bulbs as well as cut flowers.
23:58And now we're then moving into,
24:00so lots and lots of colour,
24:03lots and lots of perfume
24:04around in those particular flowers.
24:06And then as we move further into deeper spring,
24:09you'll get more of the unusual types of flowers
24:13where they like the warmth of sort of mild heat.
24:17Rather than the coldness around.
24:20So lots and lots of warm colours,
24:22gerberas, roses, lilies, carnations.
24:25And what flowers are common to see in Kent?
24:28Maybe there are some rare ones that we can see?
24:31Lavender fields are in abundance in North West Kent
24:37during the latter part of spring.
24:39So that's a nice trip out.
24:42And similarly daffodils,
24:43there's lots and lots of them in the North West Kent.
24:46There's lots and lots of field grown daffodils around
24:50that you can go and pick your own
24:52or you can go in and buy off the shelf.
24:56And why do you think people should buy flowers,
24:58especially at this time of year?
25:00I guess it kind of just makes your day
25:02waking up and seeing some flowers in your home, maybe.
25:06Definitely.
25:07I mean, flowers have been a gift or a token
25:11since Adam and Eve's time.
25:13So they are probably the most used item
25:18that is to express a sense of giving to people,
25:22whether that's the joy from cradle to grave, really.
25:26So the joy of receiving flowers
25:29always tends to change the emotion of the day.
25:33So for someone that is unwell or bereavement
25:37or sympathy, a newborn, weddings,
25:40it covers the whole thing from cradle to grave.
25:44So to receive flowers or a plant
25:48at any time of the year is wonderful.
25:52Well, all ready for Mother's Day now, aren't we?
25:54Just before we go, new research has revealed
25:56the number of push-ups you should be able to do
25:58based on your age with people in their 20s
26:01supposed to be able to do at least 15.
26:03Well, this morning on the Kent Morning Show,
26:05we decided to put our presenter,
26:07Gabriel Morris, through his paces on this one
26:09to see if he could do it.
26:10We've got a little camera down here,
26:12so you should be able to see me.
26:13Yes, just push-ups.
26:16Okay, here we go.
26:1715 to 30 push-ups.
26:19Here we go.
26:19How long do we have left on the clock?
26:20One.
26:24Well, to find out how well Gabriel did,
26:26you can head over to our TikTok or Instagram page.
26:28And of course, it wasn't just us giving it a go.
26:31Rob over at KMFM inspiring our own breakfast team
26:34to do a bit of early morning exercise,
26:36though he seemed a bit better prepared for it
26:38than Gabriel in his suit, of course.
26:40That is it from us.
26:41I won't be giving it a go
26:42because we've only got five seconds of the show left.
26:44We'll be back same time tomorrow.
26:46Bye-bye.