Police given more time to question suspect after soldier stabbed in Kent
The 24 year-old was arrested, near Brompton Barracks, on Tuesday evening
Last updated 25th Jul 2024
Detectives investigating the serious assault of a soldier in Gillingham have been granted more time to hold a suspect in custody.
Kent Police was called to Sally Port Gardens at around 5.55pm on Tuesday 23 July 2024 to a report that the victim, a man in his 40s, had suffered injuries consistent with stab wounds.
He was taken to a hospital for treatment and his condition is currently described as serious but stable.
Officers say the suspect, a 24-year-old local man, has been in custody for more than 24 hours since his arrest at around 6.30pm on Tuesday in Rochester, Kent, around 35 minutes after the attack.
"An extension has been granted that gives officers more time to conduct inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident," the force said.
One resident, who did not wish to be named and knows two people who performed CPR on the soldier, said: "There was I think two or three Army personnel working on him.
"They were just trying to heal the wounds, he had a backpack on too so she mentioned that they couldn't lay him on his back because he had a backpack on and obviously couldn't take it off.
"Just trying to seal the wounds to stop the bleeding, she said there was a lot of blood."