Man Jailed for Three Years After Air Rifle Attack During East Malling Disturbance

A 22-year-old man has been jailed for three years after a prolonged and escalating disturbance in East Malling last October, during which he shot two people with an air rifle after threatening a woman with a wrench and a knife.

At around 11pm on 15 October 2025, the offender attended a property near New Road armed with a hammer, smashing a car's rear window and a pane of glass in the house's front door. He then travelled to Kingfisher Road, where a woman known to him tried to calm him down - he held a wrench to her face, threatened to kill her and set fire to her home, then pulled a knife from his pocket. He returned home to Magpie Close before coming back to the scene, first with a homemade flamethrower and then an air rifle, firing pellets at two residents who had tried to intervene; both were injured. Kent Police were called to the disturbance at 11.53pm, by which point he had already fled - he later uploaded a video of himself to Snapchat at 4am as he walked through the neighbourhood continuing to behave aggressively.

He was arrested several hours later; a search of a black Audi recovered an air rifle believed to have been used in the attack. He was charged with possession of an imitation firearm, two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, affray, making threats to kill, and two weapons offences, pleading guilty to the first four counts at Maidstone Crown Court on 24 September 2026. He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment and a six-year restraining order barring contact with one of his victims; the remaining charges were ordered to lie on file.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Carter Scopes said officers "relentlessly pursued the violent offender through the night and located him nearly 10km away," adding: "We commend the bravery of the victims in this case, who tried their utmost to contend with [his] unpredictable violent outburst and keep each other safe. We hope the custodial sentence offers them some comfort."

Source: Kent Police