Kentish Express Ashford & District
Police launch probe after vicious assault
A woman has spoken out after a teen punched her twice in the face.
The victim was walking along Beaver Road in Ashford on Monday, May 24 when the attack happened.
At about 7pm that evening, a group of teenagers confronted the woman before a boy from the group was pushed into her.
The victim told the Kentish Express: “One of the girls in the group shoved their friend into me, making contact with my chest.
“This really panicked me, as I was walking on my own, and also because we are still in a Covid pandemic where we should be social distancing.
“After confronting the boy I was punched to the floor by him – he split my lip open and grazed/bruised my legs.
“My phone fell out of my hand as I was knocked to the floor, I really thought I was being robbed so got up as soon as I could.
“The teenager then punched me again, this time hitting my temple and caused swelling/ bruising of my face.”
She added that the majority of the group started fleeing down the public footpath by the Ashford Designer Outlet roundabout as she went to call police.
The boy who punched the woman was between 13 and 16 years old, white, about five feet, three inches tall.
He has brown hair which was long on top and graded at the back.
He was wearing black trainers with an orange tick on them, a red Tommy Hilfiger t-shirt and was holding a blue coat.
An investigation into the assault is ongoing and officers are urging anyone who saw what happened, or who has dashcam or CCTV footage from Beaver Lane at that time, to contact them.
Anyone with any information should call police on 01843 222289, quoting reference 46/88547/21.
You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555111 or using the anonymous online form.
A woman has been arrested after reports of goods worth more than £2,000 being stolen from the Designer Outlet.
Police were called to the centre by suspicious security staff on Saturday.
A suspect was arrested and products suspected to be stolen were recovered from a vehicle which was subsequently seized.
Inquiries are ongoing.
A new critical care unit will open in Ashford by autumn, health bosses say.
The facility is being built at the William Harvey Hospital following a successful bid to secure £14 million of national NHS investment.
Work began on the new two-storey, 24-bed unit months ago, with building continuing on the site neighbouring the Kennington and Richard Stevens wards.
The foundations and steel frame are now in place, and will soon be filled with pre-fabricated sections.
These sections are currently being made in Hull, and will be craned into place later this month.
Jane Kirk Smith, critical care matron at William Harvey Hospital, said: “After months of planning it’s so exciting to see our new unit taking shape.
“We’re working really hard behind the scenes to get everything ready for the new unit to open this autumn.
“Thanks to the many teams involved, helping us improve the experience and facilities for our patients, their loved ones and our staff.”
Dr Mark Snazelle, the trust’s lead doctor for critical care, said: “This new unit will be a welcome boost for our team and ensure that we have the best possible environment to care for our most critically ill patients.”
Plans for the new critical care unit were submitted on February 17, and approval was rushed through by March 31.
Located on an existing staff car park, the project will add 24 critical care beds to the 24 the hospital currently has.
The design aims to make social distancing easier compared to other parts of the hospital.