An older Maidstone sighting

"I've only just stumbled across your web site and wanted to tell you about my brief encounter several years ago.  I was walking back from a friend's house late at night and as I walked past the open gates at St Luke's Church in Maidstone, I looked to check there was nobody lurking there, as I always do. Terrifyingly there was a big, black panther just over a metre away from me which had stopped and turned it's head to look at me.  It was probably roughly the size of a Labrador dog, but much wider and stockier.  To say I was terrified would be an understatement.  Can you imagine how it feels to be so close to a panther staring at you? I was so scared I just looked away, crossed over the road and carried on walking in the hope that it wouldn't come after me.   I've often wondered how exactly it came to be there - in the middle of a town?  Well, it's an experience I'd prefer not to repeat I can tell you."