Murder investigation
A murder investigation has been launched after a father-of-three died after after being attacked in a garden. Jason Orwin, 55, was injured on Friday evening after an incident outside his home, which saw police and ambulance crews rush to Bower Place. Neighbours reported hearing a loud altercation just before 6.30pm and police were called in response to an assault. Mr Orwin was airlifted to a London hospital, with the air ambulance landing nearby, but died from his injuries. He ran his own company, according to his LinkedIn profile, called Peritum Associates based in Rochester which offers financial advice to firms.
He also spent more than 20 years specialising in finance, banking and IT. Describing his skills on the social media platform he said when not working, he enjoyed a good book, a round of golf and time with his family.
His distraught family said they were too upset to speak about his death.
The nature of Mr Orwin’s injuries have not been confirmed and post mortem tests are awaited.
Lance Colston, 36, has been charged with Mr Orwin’s murder and appeared via video link at Medway Magistrates’ Court on Monday and again at Maidstone Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday)
At both hearings he spoke only to confirm his name, and his address as Tonbridge Road, Maidstone. The Crown Prosecution Service also granted authority for Colston to be charged with actual bodily harm following a report a second man was injured during the same incident.
He was given treatment by paramedics in Bower Place.
A second man charged with actual bodily harm also appeared at Medway Magistrates Court.
Oliver Watts 33, of Tonbridge Road, Maidstone was remanded in custody due to breaching a previous licence he was on. No application was made for bail for Colston and his trial will likely be in the New Year. He was remanded in custody and is expected to claim self defence when his trial gets underway.
As forensic teams combed Bower Place, people were told to stay indoors. Both ends of the street were cordoned off, as was the entrance into Hever Gardens
An eyewitness said at least six police cars and an ambulance arrived.
One man, who only recently moved
in, said he could hear raised voices and what sounded like an altercation before emergency services arrived.
He said: “I could hear shouting coming from the Fant end of the road and moving up towards Tonbridge Road.
“It sounded like someone’s name was being called, and then all of a sudden I heard sobbing and words like ‘Oh my God.’ The sobbing was really loud. “Not long afterwards I could hear police and ambulance crews arrive and the air ambulance was flying really low.
“There were ambulance crews too but one of them struggled to get through with the road being narrow and lots of parked cars.
“I couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like some of the language wasn’t English.”
It was the second violent incident in the area within a day, after a double stabbing on a nearby road on Thursday.
Officers were called to Tonbridge Road, near Bower Terrace, just after 8.30pm, and found two men in their 30s and 40s with stab wounds.
They were taken to hospital for treatment and later discharged.
Officers charged Jerome Yearwood, of Westree Court, with two counts of grievous bodily harm, possession of a class A drug and possession of a class B drug. He appeared before Medway Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, where he
was granted bail to appear at Maidstone Crown Court next month.
Bower Place is narrow road with terraced houses and is often used as a cutthrough from the Fant area of town, to Tonbridge Road.
In 2018 police raided a home there, suspected of being a brothel. Police action also took place in Stagshaw Close, plus in Medway.
The force said they had smashed what they believed to be the county’s biggest illegal sex trafficking network and raids were also carried out in Romania.