EXCLUSIVE

by Simon Tulett

stulett@thekmgroup.co.uk

A shooting just yards from a nine-year-old and her grandmother has sparked alarm in a Dartford village.

Residents in Sutton-at-Hone say the incident, in which a pigeon was shot dead in an allotment, is the latest in a series of random shootings dangerously close to homes and public areas.

Mystery surrounds the shooter’s identity but police in north Kent have been made aware of the incident and told similar reports should be flagged as top priority for an immediate response.

Sue Lemon was tending her allotment plot with granddaughter Ellen Cherry, aged nine, when the pair were startled by gun shots.

Mrs Lemon, 57, of Barton Road, said: “It seemed a bit close, but you just carry on.

"It was only when we were getting rid of some rubbish and Ellen had the wheelbarrow going and this bird dropped dead out of the sky.

“She was really frightened and just wanted to go home.”

Chris Armstrong, chairman of Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley Parish Council, says he has been made aware of about five incidents in the last few months.

Farmland surrounds the village and there is a clay pigeon shooting range nearby, but there is nothing to suggest either is involved.

Cllr Armstrong said police told him they have received other reports of someone with a shotgun in the area and are logging each incident in a bid to catch the culprit.

Cllr Armstrong said: “Whoever it is, is not a responsible person.

"For the pigeon to fall 15 yards into the allotment it must have been shot very nearby and the gun could have been aiming over the allotments.

“Obviously we are rural but shooting in places where the public are allowed is not on.”

Witnesses to any of the shootings should contact police on 01622 690 690 or call 999 if it is an emergency.