New councillor suffers attack
A newly elected councillor was attacked just hours after being voted on to Kent County Council.
Antony Hook, who won the Faversham seat for the Lib Dems, had been with friends enjoying a celebratory meal at the Spice Lounge, in the town’s Preston Street, on Friday.
When they left at about 11.40pm he was confronted by a stranger and punched in the face, cutting his head.
Cllr Hook, 37, said: “There were three men and one woman. It was very obvious that the woman was in distress. Then one of the men pulled the woman’s arm and dragged her along.
“You could see she was definitely afraid. We were all quite concerned – so we asked if she was OK. The man shouted out ‘she’s fine, she’s just drunk’.
“I said ‘are you OK?’ again because if she wasn’t she might have indicated for us to call the police.”
The man, described as tall, with a ginger beard and wearing a baseball cap, approached Cllr Hook, who said: “I said ‘calm down’ to defuse the situation.
“The next thing I knew I felt a huge pain to my nose and forehead. He punched me.”
Cllr Hook and his friends sought refuge in the restaurant and waited for the police to arrive. The three men and woman walked off towards the station. He said: “I don’t think it was connected to the elections. Just random thuggery that could have happened to anybody.”
Witnesses should call police on 01795 419119 quoting reference 05-1741.