Man, 24, is charged with tried homicide after Army officer stabbed

A man has been charged with attempted murder after a British Army officer was stabbed 200 yards from an army barracks in Gillingham on Tuesday.

Police were called to Sally Port Gardens in Gillingham, Kent, at 5.55pm on July 23 following reports of a serious assault. 

The victim, understood to be a lieutenant colonel in his 40s, suffered injuries consistent with stab wounds and was airlifted to hospital, where his condition is described as serious but stable.

Anthony Esan, 24, was arrested near his home address in Mooring Road, Rochester, at approximately 6.30pm the same day.

He has now been charged with attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, Kent Police said this morning.

Police on the scene of an alleged attack on a British Army officer in Gillingham

Police officers behind the cordon in Gillingham, Kent on Wednesday morning

An aerial view of Sally Port Gardens in Gillingham where the attack is said to have occurred

Forensic officers have been at an address in nearby Rochester, where a man was arrested and subsequently charged with attempted murder

Sally Port in Gillingham is a quiet residential street that is believed to be home to several military families

Esan is due to appear at Medway Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 25 July. 

The alleged attack took place 200 yards from Brompton Barracks, home of the Royal School of Military Engineering. 

This is a breaking story, more to follow.