Search continues for suspect behind fatal Valentine's Day shooting at Kent pub
Murder squad detectives are continuing to investigate the fatal shooting of a woman at a village pub in Kent on Friday, including whether the suspected gunman entered the River Thames.
A woman in her 40s was shot at The Three Horseshoes in Knockholt near Sevenoaks just after 7pm on Valentine's Day. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Sunday bouquets of flowers had been placed outside the pub along with cans of Red Bull.
The suspect, who is believed to have known the victim, fled by car which was later found on Friday night at the Dartford Crossing. Police discovered a gun inside the vehicle.
Detective Chief Inspector David Higham said: "There were reports of a man on the wrong side of the barrier [at the Queen Elizabeth II bridge] and we are not ruling out the possibility that he may have entered the water.
"We are currently only looking for one suspect and do not believe there to be an ongoing risk to the public.
"Specialist officers continue to work with the families of both parties involved to support them following this tragic incident."
On Saturday, forensic teams in white overalls examined the area outside the pub.
The focus of the investigation was a blue Seat at the entrance to the car park.
The passenger side window of the vehicle was smashed and shattered glass could be seen around the vehicle.
Bullet casings were also reportedly found on the ground.
It is understood neither the suspect nor victim were from Kent but had local connections to the area.
Laura Trott, Conservative MP for Sevenoaks and Swanley, said she was "devastated" about the shooting. Posting on Facebook she said: "My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends impacted.
"I know our community will be shocked at the news, but this is a live investigation and we must allow the police to do their job."
Kent Police said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the shooting.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
2 hours ago
- ITV News
Jails in England and Wales 98.3% full as prison crisis continues
Prisons in England and Wales are 98.3% full, despite the population falling slightly since the government accepted recommendations of a recent sentencing review. There are now 1,448 prison places available - up from 961 last month, when the estate was running at 98.9% capacity. But HM Prison and Probation Service says it can't run the estate efficiently at over 95% occupancy. The UK's prisons estate has been under so much pressure that thousands of inmates have been released early to prevent the system clogging up, a situation that the justice secretary warned could lead to the "break down of law and order". If prisons are full, police cells would have to be used to house offenders - but when they reach capacity, officers would no longer be able to carry out arrests, Shabana Mahmood said last month. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'We are building new prisons and are on track for 14,000 places by 2031 – the largest expansion since the Victorians. "Our sentencing reforms will also force prisoners to earn their way to release or face longer in jail for bad behaviour, while ensuring the most dangerous offenders can be kept off the streets.' Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced an extra £7 billion to fund 14,000 more prison places in her spending review on Wednesday, and up to £700 million per year into reform of the probation system. Unveiling the funding in the Commons, she said "must feel safe" in their local community, "safe in the knowledge that when people break the law, they feel the full force of the law". "But the party opposite left our prisons overflowing and on the brink of collapse, and they left it to us to deal with the consequences." Unions welcomed the cash but questioned whether it would be enough to fix alleviate pressures on the system. Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, said "fresh money for the police, prisons and probation is something we've long called for... but, as ever, the proof will be in the pudding as to whether this is enough money – and if it ends up in the right places.' The government, which commissioned a review into prisons by Conservative former justice secretary David Gauke, has accepted many of his recommendations. New policies include allowing well behaved offenders to serve one third of their sentence, rather than half and scrapping short sentences of less than 12 months, apart from in exceptional circumstances such as domestic abuse cases. There have also been calls to improve rehabilitation inside prisons, given 53% of those released commit crime again within a year, while 80% of offenders are reoffenders. But the justice secretary said it's much harder to rehabilitate offenders with the prison system "permanently on the point of collapse". She was asked by Labour MP Clive Efford in the Commons last month how the government would reduce reoffending, which is "costing us £22 billion a year". Mahmood responded: "One of the problems of running a prison system at absolutely boiling hot, where you're permanently on the point of collapse... it means that within the prison estate you're not able to make much progress on the sorts of programmes that offenders would need to access to begin a rehabilitation journey." The Gauke review recommended introducing an 'earned progression model' inspired by reforms in Texas. Under the scheme, prisoners could be released earlier for good behaviour and be supervised on licence for a period of their sentence. They would then remain unsupervised in the community for the final period of their sentence, but could be recalled to prison if they commit another crime. Violent or sexual offenders who are serving sentences of four years or more could be released into the community on licence after spending half of their sentence behind bars, or longer if they do not comply with prison rules. The review also suggested for the most dangerous offenders on extended sentences to be eligible for parole at half-way through their sentence, instead of two-thirds, if they earn credits to take part in rehabilitation activities in prison. They would only be released if the Parole Board decided it was safe to do so.
Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Daily Record
Sharp rise in Stirling knife crime sees response from cops and First Minister
The figures - acquired by a Conservative MSP - have revealed a "shocking" rise in the number of incidents involving 'bladed or pointed article crimes' from 2022 to 2024. A 'shocking' surge in knife crime incidents has been revealed in Stirling over the last two years according to newly-released data. The figures were discovered by Central Scotland MSP Stephen Kerr in a parliamentary question at Holyrood which asked about the number of 'bladed or pointed article crimes' reported across the council area. The data shows that 81 such crimes were recorded in Stirling in 2024, rocketing up from 48 in 2022. Mr Kerr has raised the alarm over the figures and the impact on local communities - while taking a shot at the Scottish Government's handling of the issue. The MSP — who is standing at the Conservative candidate in the Stirling constituency at next year's Holyrood election — said: 'These shocking figures lay bare the SNP Government's abject failure to get a grip on Scotland's knife crime epidemic. 'This terrible surge in knife crime in Stirling in just two years isn't just a statistic; it's a terrifying indictment of a justice system that is failing our communities. 'Enough is enough. The SNP need to stop their soft-touch approach to justice, get tough on knife crime, and make Stirling safe again.' The most recent data from Statista shows a record high in the number of incidents recorded by police involving offensive weapons of all kinds (including knives and bladed weapons), with 10,835 such crimes highlighted in 2023/24. Forth Valley area commander, Superintendent Lynsey Kidd said tackling knife violence is a priority for local officers. She added: 'We recently launched an offensive weapon initiative across Forth Valley aimed at tackling and reducing the carrying of weapons, including knives. 'We acknowledge the impact that violent crime has on individuals, families, and local communities, and we remain resolute in our commitment to keeping our communities safe. This includes highly visible patrols across Stirling and Forth Valley, to prevent and detect issues and reassure the public. 'Recognising that the underlying factors are often complex in nature, we work closely with our national and local partners to draw on their collective expertise and resources to develop and deliver tailored responses to detect, deter and respond to such crime.' She added: 'As ever, we thank the public for their support and seek their help to hold offenders to account. If you have information, please contact us on 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.' First Minister John Swinney — who this week convened a cross-party summit on youth violence — said: 'There is absolutely no justification for carrying any weapon, including knives, at anytime, anywhere — and we must be relentless in that message to young people. 'We must make sure we are doing everything possible to respond to the changing behaviours of young people at an early stage, while ensuring parents are aware of the help and support available. 'Challenging crime and anti-social behaviour is the responsibility of everyone which is why our approach to tackling violence among young people is focused on education programmes, on the unacceptability of violence, effective punishment for offences, appropriate police powers and sustained school and community engagement. 'This will help show young people the dangers and consequences of violence, including carrying a weapon, and help prevent them from making decisions which could determine the rest of their life and devastate the lives of others.'
Telegraph
19 hours ago
- Telegraph
Tory taxpayers to bear brunt of Reeves's squeeze on police
Council taxpayers in Tory areas will bear the brunt of Rachel Reeves's squeeze on police funding, official figures show. Police forces in rural areas, which are predominantly under Tory control, have to draw twice as much of their budgets from council taxpayers as metropolitan areas, which are largely overseen by Labour police and crime commissioners. Conservative Surrey funds 57 per cent of its budget through its policing precept on council tax at the top of the table compared with 21.8 per cent for the West Midlands, 24.3 per cent for Merseyside and 27.1 per cent for the Metropolitan Police Service, which are all Labour-controlled, according to official data for 2024. This disparity means that they can only plug gaps from the Chancellor's police cuts through a disproportionate reliance on their council taxpayers who face an anticipated increase of £14 on their tax bills for Band D properties, or more than five per cent. The figures come a day after police chiefs warned Ms Reeves that the funding shortfall would mean they would be unable to deliver on the Government's pledges to put 13,000 more neighbourhood bobbies on the beat and halve knife crime and violence against women and girls. Ms Reeves pledged police forces would get an increase of 2.3 per cent in their spending power, but this included the council tax precept on which rural areas disproportionately rely for their funding.
