A man from Hawkhurst has been charged in connection with a series of offences including knifepoint robberies and the theft of a car stolen following a test drive.
The offences are alleged to have been carried out between July and August 2024, and included threats to stab teenage victims with a machete.
It is reported that on 4 August 2024, separate robberies took place in Cranbrook High Street and in Headcorn Road, Staplehurst. During each incident two men armed with weapons and with their faces covered are said to have demanded valuables from their victims.
A 21-year-old man from Hawkhurst was arrested during the early hours of 6 August, in an investigation which led to the seizure of several suspected stolen items. He was charged with multiple counts of robbery and possessing a knife in a public place.
He was further charged with stealing a car advertised for sale from an address in Cranbrook, on 9 July. It is alleged he failed to return the vehicle after a test drive and that the car was later found abandoned after a collision.
On 8 August, he appeared before Medway Magistrates’ Court and was remanded in custody. His next hearing will be at Maidstone Crown Court on 6 September.