Man appears in court after soldier stabbed in Kent
A 24 year-old is charged with attempted murder
A man has been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged with the attempted murder of an Army officer in uniform near a barracks.
Anthony Esan, 24, is accused of repeatedly stabbing Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton in Gillingham, Kent, on Tuesday.
The serviceman, in his 40s, is in hospital in a serious but stable condition after the alleged knife attack.
Mr Esan, who was arrested near his home in nearby Rochester, is also charged with possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.
He appeared at Medway Magistrates' Court today, wearing a grey T-shirt and will next appear at Maidstone Crown Court on August 22.
Prosecutor Rajni Prashar said: "A member of the public called 999 to report a male had been stabbed.
"It was then reported that the victim was a soldier in uniform."
She told the court a man was seen "running up behind" the Army officer before he "pulled the soldier to the ground", stabbed him "repeatedly" and drove away on a moped.
Sally Port Gardens, where police said the incident took place, is near Brompton Barracks, the headquarters of the British Army's 1 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment.
The attack happened at around 5.55pm on Tuesday, with the suspect being arrested around 25 minutes later.
Lt Col Teeton is a chartered engineer working as a course manager in the Army's Corps of Royal Engineers, according to a LinkedIn page, which shows he has worked in various roles in the armed forces dating back to 2001.