STREET BRAWL
Girl, 15, stabbed as teens party
A teenage boy has been arrested after a 15- year- old girl was stabbed in the stomach in an attack in Maidstone town centre.
Police and paramedics rushed to Mill Street, close to the junction with High Street, just after 9pm on Wednesday to reports a group was involved in a fight.
A 15-year-old girl suffered a cut to her stomach and was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of an offensive weapon – a knife.
He remained in police custody the following afternoon.
A venue owner has described how more than 100 rowdy teens were partying nearby at the time of the assault.
Ibrahim Nurhakli, who runs music venue The Rafters in Maidstone High Street, had hired his building out for a girl’s 16th birthday party and said he was forced to end it early due to the number of people trying to get in, some with bottles of alcohol.
Mr Nurhakli said: “There were about 120 people at the party, some were inside but some were outside. Why would you go to a party then stay outside on the street?
“Some had alcohol in their bags and I refused to let them in.
“I shut the party down at 10pm instead of 11pm because there were so many people outside.”
He said he had the support of the girl’s dad for the early finish.
He said: “I didn’t see the fight but I heard one girl was cut or stabbed in the stomach. I don’t know whether the people involved in the fight were connected to the party or whether it was a coincidence.”
Police cordoned off the area while they carried out investigations and a spokesman said the force was not looking for any other people in connection with the incident.
The girl was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital.
This is not the first fight in Maidstone town centre in recent months.
In July, three fights broke out within days of each other with two women brawling in broad daylight in Jubilee Square, two young men being egged on to scrap in Mill Street, and up to six men brawling in Brewer Street.
The first two fights were filmed on mobile phones and shared on social media.