Serious assaults in Maidstone and quiet Headcorn spark police investigations

Residents across West Kent are being urged to remain vigilant after two separate serious assault investigations were launched within hours of each other in Maidstone and Headcorn.

While incidents involving serious violence are often associated with larger towns and busy nightlife areas, the latest investigation in the normally peaceful village of Headcorn has come as a surprise to many local residents.

In Maidstone, detectives have released CCTV images of three men they would like to identify following a serious assault in the early hours of Sunday morning. Police say a man in his 30s suffered injuries consistent with stab wounds and remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition. A second man in his 20s was also injured during the incident, which happened near the junction of Mill Street and Fairmeadow after an altercation involving a group of people. Officers are appealing for witnesses, dashcam footage and private CCTV to assist the investigation.

Just hours later, armed officers were called to Lenham Road in Headcorn following reports that weapons had been used and several people had been injured. Three casualties were taken to hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life threatening. Kent Police have since arrested three men and three women, all of whom remain in custody while enquiries continue.

Although Maidstone experiences a higher volume of violent crime due to its size and busy town centre economy, incidents of this scale are far less common in villages such as Headcorn, which is generally regarded as one of the quieter communities in the borough.

The investigations serve as a reminder that serious violence can occur anywhere, regardless of whether an area is urban or rural.

Anyone with information relating to the Maidstone assault is asked to contact Kent Police quoting reference 46/103621/26. Anyone with information about the Headcorn incident should also contact Kent Police.