Man appears in court charged with attempted murder of Army officer in Kent
WATCH: ITV News Meridian's Joe Coshan reports on the latest from Medway Magistrates' Court
A man has been remanded in custody after appearing in court, charged with the attempted murder of an Army officer in Kent.
Anthony Esan, 24, is accused of repeatedly stabbing Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton in Gillingham, on Tuesday.
The officer, who was wearing his uniform at the time of the alleged knife attack and is in his 40s, is in hospital in a serious but stable condition.
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 on Thursday wearing a grey T-shirt and will next appear at Maidstone Crown Court on August 22.
The defendant initially asked “Why?” when he was asked to confirm his name and date of birth.
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.
Two knives were dropped at the scene and a further three were found stored on the bike, the prosecutor said.
Police were called to Sally Port Gardens on Tuesday evening, which is near Brompton Barracks, the headquarters of the British Army’s 1 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment after receiving reports that a soldier had been attacked.
Lt Col Teeton is a chartered engineer working as a course manager in the Army’s Corps of Royal Engineers.
In June this year, he raised nearly £2,500 for Combat Stress, a veterans mental health charity, by running the D-Day challenge in Normandy, a fundraising page shows.
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