very shortly after the attack a arrest was made, the victim is a disabled 16 year old girl who has been left with serious injuries in a critical condition in a London hospital.
Kent Police confirmed they had made an arrest after being called to Highsted Road, Sittingbourne, shortly before 8am today to reports the victim had suffered injuries, the nature of which are yet to be confirmed.
A police spokesman said: “An arrest has been made after a young woman was seriously assaulted in Sittingbourne.
“Police were called to a field off Highsted Road, near the junction with Swanstree Avenue, after being informed the victim had been found with serious injuries.
“She was taken to a London hospital, where she remains in a serious condition.
“The suspect has been taken into custody.”
The spokesman, who could not confirm any further details about the person arrested, said people would see an increased police presence in the area while inquiries at the scene continue.
He added: “Officers are keen to hear from anyone who may have information, especially those who were walking in the area overnight and in the morning.
“They are also keen to hear from anyone who owns CCTV, or dash camera footage, recorded in the vicinity.”
Large police presence
FIve police cars and a forensic van were seen in Highsted Road and had cordoned off the crime scene.
Almost 12 hours on from when police were called, it remains closed from the junction with Cromers Road to Chilton Manor Farm and officers are blocking every footpath, leading to fields and orchards off large sections of Swanstree Avenue and Highsted Road.
The air ambulance was sent to the Eden Village housing estate, which is off Highsted Road, along with police and ambulance crews, this morning.
Three police officers and paramedics were seen treating the patient on a pathway in Rose Walk at about 9.30am, before she was subsequently stretchered into the waiting helicopter.
Neighbours reported seeing armed officers at the bottom of the estate before 8am, stopping people from entering unless they lived there.
One man also reported seeing an unmarked BMW police car “screaming” up the estate at about 7.50am.
Meanwhile, neighbours in Highsted Road said they heard sirens at around 3am today but it is not yet known whether this was connected to the assault.
Trial
In only a matter of days a boy known to the girl has been charged with attempt murder.
The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was in the dock wearing a grey tracksuit and spoke only to confirm his name and age.
He was arrested on Thursday after a 16-year-old girl, also from Sittingbourne, was found with serious injuries. She also cannot be identified for legal reasons.
The victim is currently still in hospital in a critical condition after being stabbed “around 50 to 60 times,” prosecutor Andrew Jones told the court.
During a 10-minute hearing Mr Jones said the victim and defendant were known to each other and were in “some sort of relationship”.
He continued, alleging the defendant had met with the victim at her home after agreeing to meet up and then walked off together.
But moments later as the victim, who struggles with walking long distances, began to lag behind he allegedly picked her up and carried her to a secluded park known as The Orchards.
Mr Jones went on to claim the accused had stabbed the teenager multiple times, leaving deep wounds, and that it is not clear whether she will survive.
Left alone to die
The incident is thought to have taken place late at night on Wednesday, July 21 and early morning on July 22.
However, the young girl wasn’t found until around 8am by a member of the public who rang the police.
The defendant, whose parents were in court for the hearing, did not enter a plea.
The teenage defendant was remanded in custody to appear at Maidstone Crown Court on Monday, August 23.
Officers are keen to hear from anyone who may have information, especially those who were walking in the area between 11pm on Wednesday, July 21 and 3am on Thursday, July 22. They are also keen to hear from anyone who owns CCTV, or dash camera footage, recorded in the vicinity.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Kimber said: “We are still appealing for the public to come forward with any information they may have which can assist in this investigation.
Increase in murders of women
Violence against woman has been on the rise and following the murder of Sarah Everard it has been in the spotlight even more.
Forty-one women have been killed in cases where a male suspect has been charged since Sarah Everard’s killing.
Campaigners told The Independent the public has become “numb” to male violence against women and girls as they hit out the government for failing to implement proper measures to tackle the issue.
Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, went missing after leaving a friend’s flat in Clapham in South London at about 9pm on 3 March.
Her body was later found in woodland in Kent and Wayne Couzens, a serving Metropolitan Police officer, was charged with her kidnap and murder.
Couzens pleaded guilty on Tuesday to the kidnapping and rape of Everard – with the 48-year-old also admitting responsibility for her killing but not yet entering a plea to the charge he murdered her.
The figure of 41 women killed since 9 March.
Thoughts are with this young girl and her family at this time.
