The London Borough of Bromley may not be the most crime ridden place on the planet, in England or even in the Capital, but at times a reading of the local press does give the impression that its streets are not safe to walk, certainly that was true for 16 year old Kaya Nanton who was the victim of a hit and run incident in Beckenham on December 2. She was left concussed, cut, bruised, and on crutches by the driver of a gun metal coloured Ford Ka who didn't stop to see if she was dead or alive.
A crime may involve neither violence to the person nor any great material loss, yet be despicable in the extreme. Most people would agree that stealing from a charity box or stealing flowers from a grave are in that category. Like Kaya Nanton, 11 year old Robert Stringer was hit by a car; unlike Kaya, he did not escape with physical injuries and nightmares, but though he has been dead for 31 years, his grave is still tended regularly. And robbed regularly. This resulted in a family member setting up a camera in the cemetery with permission, and the culprit, or one of them, being caught - although only on camera for now.
Surprise, surprise, this was no
hoodie or young thug fresh from the recent riots, but an elderly woman with grey hair. If she had been stealing bronze plaques as has
happened recently, there would be some rationale to it, but to steal flowers from a child's grave...She can expect a short, sharp shock when she is brought to book, quite possibly a month or two in clink.
From the most despicable to the most bizarre crime of the week. Aren't nativity plays supposed to be something about the spirit of Christmas? At Harton Primary School in the North of England, the Christmas spirit appears to have been lacking somewhat when a punch up between parents left one of them with his finger bitten off. The precise degree of damage is not apparent, but an arrest has been made, and a man has been
bailed pending further inquiries.
Finally, we return to Beckenham, the town where Bob Monkhouse was born. Although he was best known as a comedian, Monkhouse did act in the odd film, but the Beckenham actor who appeared in court recently wasn't laughing.
Jamie Foreman has recently landed a role in the BBC soap
EastEnders as a villain who can''t keep it in his trousers. He appears to have had entirely the opposite problem until recently, because when he appeared before Bromley magistrate Ivor Barwin, he was told to put his hand in his trousers and take out...his wallet. For child maintenance arrears of forty-seven thousand pounds. Three years ago he was made bankrupt, but if his new role as a Walford villain holds up, he won't be headed back to Carey Street anytime soon, unlike
Nick Griffin.
