Kentish Express Ashford & District
Addict jailed for using stolen cards
A father-of-six has been jailed after using bank cards stolen from the handbags of two women while they were attending an Ashford church service.
Heroin-addict Aaron Spendly, 32, of St Stephen’s Walk, Ashford, had admitted five fraud charges committed in breach of an earlier suspended sentence.
Canterbury Crown Court heard how, on November 19 last year, Spendly handed over the cards to buy booze on the same day that two women were targeted while visiting St Mary’s Church in Ashford town centre.
Odd-job man Spendly went into a store in the High Street in Ashford and used one of the cards to buy £28.35 and £22.20 worth of items.
Then he went to a petrol station in Brookfield Road and used both cards for £29.67 worth of items before going into the Co-0p store in the same road to get another £29.40 worth of goods, each transaction was carried out using contactless payments.
On December 2 a woman was at the Hollywood Bowl in Station Road Ashford when her bag was also stolen.
Again it was Spendly who went into a Tesco store and used the victim’s bank card for £20.30 worth of goods.
The court heard the frauds were carried out while he was subject to an 18-month suspended jail sentence for handling stolen goods
Spendly, who has lost contact with all of his children, was jailed for a total of 22 months.
The judge, Recorder James Osborne told him: “You seem to have been living a rather chaotic lifestyle for the past decade.” The biggest office building built in Kent for 20 years will open in May, a developer has revealed.
Mark Quinn began work on the multi-million pound Commercial Quarter at Dover Place in January 2017.
Contractors are due to remove the scaffolding surrounding the six-storey building in early March and the first businesses are then due to move in in the spring.
Speaking to the Kentish Express from his newly opened office in Bridge outside Canterbury this week, Mr Quinn says he is pleased with how the project has progressed. He said: “We are really happy with it, but we have had to work hard on it.
“We have had a number of things happen – including Brexit – since we started work on this project.
“The building’s wrap will soon come off and people will be able to see what it looks like at the beginning of March.”
The development, which includes office, cafe and retail space, will create between 600 and 700 jobs when finished.
More than 300 construction positions have already been created and accountancy firm Wilkins Kennedy is the first tenant taking up the top floor, with the cafe due to open on the ground floor.
The Commercial Quarter is one of Ashford Borough Council’s Big 8 projects – a series of major schemes that the council says will transform Ashford and regenerate the town centre.
Mr Quinn added: “We are on time and we are on budget.
“We have been pleasantly surprised with the interest in it, especially when you consider the uncertainty with the economy.
“We think it will be a landmark building that will stand the test of time.
“I would like to say a big thank you to Ashford Borough Council for giving us the opportunity to do it and we are looking forward to delivering on our promises.
“The council has been trying to bring this forward for 20 years, and it is now happening.”
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