KentOnline

bannermobile

News

Sport

Business

What's On

Advertise

Contact

Other KM sites

CORONAVIRUS WATCH KMTV LIVE SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTERS LISTEN TO OUR PODCASTS LISTEN TO KMFM
SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE
News

Here are just some of the Kent criminals including burglars, rapists and violent offenders who committed crimes and were locked up in August

By: KentOnline Court Reporter news@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 05:00, 31 August 2024

Lots of people who committed crimes were jailed this month and are now spending time behind bars.

Here are just some of the criminals including burglars, sex offenders, shoplifters, rapists and violent offenders who committed crimes and were locked up in August.

Lots of people felt the long arm of the law and were convicted of offences in August. Picture: iStock

Lisa Willett

A prolific shoplifter who was recalled to prison for committing a string of offences went out thieving again just days after being re-released from jail.

Earlier this year, Lisa Willett was sentenced to 260 days for committing a series of shop thefts in Sittingbourne town centre which she carried out in January.

Lisa Willett was placed back behind bars after continuing to shoplift even after she had been given a two-year banning order for thefts in Sittingbourne. Picture: Kent Police

However, she was released on licence in June after serving half her sentence, but was recalled to prison for reoffending again and in July, the 45-year-old was handed a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order after targeting the likes of Morrisons, Poundland and Aldi in the town.

mpu1

The order prohibited her from entering several businesses in the area, including smaller shops and supermarket chains and also banned her from any premises she’s previously been banned from.

On July 11 she appeared in court after being charged with several theft offences when police applied for the CBO in a bid to stop her from thieving again because they said she “caused misery in the town”.

After being recalled that month, she was released again, but within days she was out offending again and appeared in the dock at Medway Magistrates’ Court where she admitted two further shoplifting offences.

Magistrates were told, Willett, who used to live in Maidstone, but is now of Cavell Way, Sittingbourne, had been caught in the Forum Shopping Centre in Sittingbourne with a black bag with stolen Savers goods on July 29.

She also admitted another shoplifting offence from the Co-op in Upchurch which she committed in May and as a result, Magistrates jailed her for 30 days for each of the theft offences and said the sentences must run consecutively, so she was jailed for another 60 days.

She was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154 and £85 court costs which will be added to her other court fines account which magistrates heard she still owes some £2,700 to.

mpu2

She was not charged with breaching her CBO.

Tyler Flisher

A violent offender stabbed a man on a night out and then continued to intimidate him after he was arrested.

Tyler Flisher, 21, attacked his victim while out in Hawkinge, near Folkestone, and left him bleeding from a chest injury.

Tyler Flisher, 21, of Pritchard Drive, Hawkinge, was jailed for more than two-and-a-half years. Picture: Kent Police

Police officers were called to the Pannell Drive area of the village on October 23, 2022, after it was reported a man had been attacked and had to stay in hospital for a week.

Flisher, of Pritchard Drive, Hawkinge, had gone to meet with a woman earlier that evening near Benson Lane and the victim was also out with friends.

The two groups, who were known to each other, became involved in a dispute and Flisher stabbed one of the men.

Flisher was arrested the following day and later charged and despite being given bail conditions not to approach witnesses to the incident, Flisher persisted in intimidating his victim and causing him to fear further harm.

After pleading guilty to unlawful wounding and witness intimidation, he was jailed for two years and seven months at Canterbury Crown Court.

He was also given a three-year restraining order, prohibiting him from making any contact with the victim and another witness to the incident.

Anthony Foord and Amie Lynn

Masked burglars bound the hands and feet of an 89-year-old woman before beating her and ripping the wedding ring from her finger.

Anthony Foord and Amie Lynn even threatened to make their victim drink laundry detergent during a merciless and “grotesque” attack that left her “bruised and violated”.

Anthony Foord was jailed for his part in a terrifying burglary at the home of an 89-year-old woman in Dymchurch. His accomplice, Amie Lynn, received a 10-year sentence. Picture Kent Police

So impacted was the pensioner by the terrifying ordeal that she told a court she has been in a “state of panic” ever since. Foord, 45, and Lynn, 38, were handed lengthy prison sentences after admitting their part in the violent burglary on April 14 this year.

Canterbury Crown Court heard how Foord flipped the mattress in search of cash before tearing the elderly woman’s rings from her fingers and a necklace from her neck and in her victim impact statement, the frail pensioner recalled pleading with her attackers to stop and explaining that she was an old woman with mobility issues.

But Judge Simon Taylor KC heard how Foord and Lynn persisted in their torments, threatening to force-feed their victim laundry detergent unless she provided them with money and that they tied her hands and feet together with cables.

Police arrested Foord, of Cherry Garden Avenue, Folkestone, and Lynn, of no fixed abode, the same morning, with Lynn spitting on the face of the officer as she was taken into custody. The pair later pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated burglary at magistrates’ court, with Lynn also admitting assaulting an emergency worker.

In light of his 25 previous appearances in court, Foord was said to pose a "significant risk" to the public and was therefore handed a 15-year extended sentence which comprises 12 years' imprisonment, of which he will have to serve at least two-thirds before he can apply for parole, and then once released, a further three years will be added to any licence period.

Lynn was given a 10-year sentence, of which she will serve two-thirds behind bars and the remainder out on licence.

Matthew Rintoul

A woman whose ex-boyfriend was banned by a court from contacting her was pestered by him on TikTok and WhatsApp.

Matthew Rintoul was subject to a restraining order when he repeatedly messaged his former partner via social media platforms.

Matthew Rintoul was jailed over the stalking offences. Photo: Kent Police

Maidstone Crown Court heard that in July last year the 39-year-old, who has previous convictions for battery and harassment, had been prohibited from communicating with his victim for five years.

But over a two-week period in February this year he sent several voice clips via WhatsApp, making no attempt to hide his identity by using an account in the name of “Matt” and with his number.

Described as "rejected, naive and immature", he also made several calls and sent a text saying “Hi” and then resorted to using his TikTok to ask her to contact him.

He continued in his attempts to communicate with the victim, who received notifications that he was viewing her TikTok account, and then on March 1 he liked a video she had uploaded to the platform and his behaviour caused his former girlfriend serious distress and she was forced to make lifestyle changes.

Rintoul, of Marlborough Road, Gillingham, later admitted harassment, four breaches of the restraining order and breach of a six-month suspended sentence.

This had been imposed by magistrates for offences of stalking, intimidation and breaching the same contact ban just days before he committed his latest crimes and at the court earlier this month, Rintoul was jailed for 14 months.

Rogel Dumitru

A balaclava-clad thug who broke into a home and threatened the occupants with a knife during a burglary was jailed.

Rogel Dumitru, 20, was part of a group which targeted a house in Luton Road, Chatham, in September last year.

Rogel Dumitru, 20, was jailed for his part in a violent burglary in Chatham. Picture: Kent Police

The men were armed with blades, and wearing gloves and masks during the raid which saw them wake those asleep in the house, assault one of them and demand they tell the group where their valuables were. Two watches and mobile phones were found by the men before they fled the scene.

Officers were made aware of the break-in and when they attended they saw two people running from the area and a mask was recovered which, after examination, had a DNA match with Dumitru.

Investigators were able to show Dumitru and his car had travelled from Bexleyheath to Chatham accompanied by the occupants of a van, before and after the incident and they also proved he had been in contact with his accomplices Denis Calin and Ion Vasile prior to the crime, and they had all been in the vicinity of the incident when it happened.

Further inquiries proved Robert Maytum had also been present and Dumitru, of Mayplace Road East, Bexleyheath, Calin and Maytum, both from Chatham, and Vasile, from Maidstone, were arrested later that month. Dumitru’s accomplices were previously sentenced in June.

Vasile, 22, was sentenced to eight years and five months’ imprisonment and Maytum, 36, was jailed for seven years and two months.

Calin, 20, was imprisoned for seven years and earlier this month an, Dumitru received seven and a half years' imprisonment at Woolwich Crown Court.

Ben Murphy

A “depraved” sex offender who urged a young girl to sexually abuse her two-month-old relative in exchange for £1,000 was jailed.

Ben Murphy, 31, also approached two girls while they were playing on the swings at a Sittingbourne park and made indecent suggestions to them which led them to run away.

Ben Murphy, 31, from Sittingbourne, who was described as a "risk to children" was jailed. Picture: Kent Police

Murphy, of Raite Green, Sonora Fields, Sittingbourne, also fled the scene in February last year but was arrested two days later after police spotted him on CCTV. He was charged with inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and remanded in custody before a court appearance.

He had already been due to attend court to be sentenced for several sex offences involving children between January 2020 and March 2021 and during this earlier period, he had contacted five separate children who did not know him, on social media platforms.

Murphy asked his victims to send images of themselves, some in their underwear and others carrying out sexual acts and in one conversation he incited a child to abuse their two-month-old relative, and offered to pay her £1,000.

He also sent indecent images and videos of himself to the victims and asked for private calls so he could further engage in sexual abuse and on another occasion in February 2021, he approached a further child in a Sittingbourne park and asked them to carry out a sexual act, the child refused and fled the scene.

Murphy had been arrested for these earlier offences and had pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to six indictments of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and four of possessing indecent images of children, but as he was awaiting sentence and subject to strict court bail conditions, he went on to commit the most recent offence when he attended the park in Sittingbourne, in February.

He pleaded not guilty to this later offence but was convicted following a trial of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and he was sentenced to six years in prison, of which he will have to serve two-thirds before he is eligible for parole.

To read more of our in depth coverage of all of the major trials coming out of crown and magistrates’ courts across the county, click here.

To see who was locked up in July, click here.

Dominik Bialy

A teenager who brandished a Samurai sword as armed men ran amok in the street led police to crack a drugs supply chain.

Dominik Bialy was one of a large number wielding knives and other bladed weapons who clashed in broad daylight on a Saturday afternoon in front of frightened and shocked witnesses.

Dominik Bialy, 18, of Mill Road, Erith was jailed after he admitted possessing crack cocaine with intent to supply, possessing a bladed article, affray and possessing an offensive weapon in a private place. Picture: Kent Police

One woman who made a 999 call watched in horror as the yobs ran back and forth, threatening each other and thrusting the blades, Maidstone Crown Court heard and describing the violent disturbance in Trinity Road, Gillingham, on February 24 as "blatant", she told officers: "They were trying to stab one another in broad daylight, I have never seen so many knives."

Having viewed CCTV footage of the rumpus, police went to a property in nearby Richmond Road three days later, where they found Bialy, three further knives, and evidence linking him to the control of the 'LJ' crack cocaine drugs line which included 40 wraps of the Class A substance, a phone, weighing scales, £614 cash and other paraphernalia.

He was arrested and later admitted possessing crack cocaine with intent to supply, possessing a bladed article, affray and possessing an offensive weapon in a private place . At his sentencing hearing, the court heard that on the day of the affray he was among a group of three "in conflict" with a group of four, and all seven were armed with "long knives and swords".

Bialy, now 19, had also travelled down to Medway from his home in Mill Road, Erith and although he gave a 'no comment' interview following his arrest, he claimed the cash found in the police search on February 27 was from his Universal Credit payment.

The court heard that Bialy, who has a previous conviction for possessing a weapon in a private place and possessing cannabis, had been in foster care, was moved "all over the country" and then fell in "with the wrong crowd”.

Jailing the teenager for three years, the judge, Recorder James Dawes KC, remarked he had "no doubt" the "extremely serious" street violence was linked to illegal substances.

Michael Atkinson

A family said they were still living in fear after their “nightmare” neighbour subjected them to a relentless campaign of “obsessive” harassment which forced them to flee their own home.

Michael Atkinson encouraged his children to urinate on his neighbour Martina Chapman-Clegg’s car and also subjected her to threats of violence and highly-offensive abuse, some of which were recorded on camera.

Michael Atkinson, of Chapman's Way, East Malling, on video subjecting his neighbour Martina Chapman-Clegg to harassment. Picture: Martina Chapman-Clegg

The harassment by the dad-of-three, who has 183 crimes to his name, went on “relentlessly” and had such an impact that the family had to move as a consequence.

Mrs Chapman-Clegg told KentOnline police officers advised her to leave the house in Chapman’s Way, East Malling, where she had lived for 11 years, due to the incidents.

The family were moved into temporary accommodation for seven months by Tonbridge and Malling Council until a new permanent home was available, where they now live and the court heard that during the family's 999 call, one of their children could be heard screaming in fear and still suffers night terrors.

Atkinson, who has been diagnosed with ADHD, Asperger’s, depression and anxiety, was said to have been breaking the law every year of his life since he was 16, racking up multiple offences including threatening behaviour, harassment, intimidation, battery and assault.

Passing sentence, Recorder James Dawes KC said that his abuse was “very shameful” and had had “considerable impact” and jailed him for 27 weeks.

Atkinson, who was subject to a Kent Police ‘Wanted’ appeal earlier this year concerning a court warrant and harassment, is currently serving 120 days for breach of a suspended sentence imposed for an unrelated driving offence and is also now subject to a five-year restraining order banning him from contacting the family.

Josh Sayer

A homeless man feared he was going to die as he was viciously attacked at knifepoint by two thugs.

The rough sleeper was set upon by drink and drug-fuelled Josh Sayer and Jordan Sherry in Ramsgate town centre.

Josh Sayer, from Margate, was jailed for 18 months for ABH, possessing a bladed article and assault by beating

CCTV captured the men, who knew each other from school, repeatedly chasing and assaulting their victim and Sayer, who was on licence from prison at the time, could clearly be seen brandishing a 5in blade while Sherry kicked and stamped on the man.

They then turned their attention to a woman, but this time it was Sherry who punched her to the ground and Sayer who stuck the boot in and Canterbury Crown Court heard neither victim gave a formal statement or chose to support a prosecution, but evidence was provided by the camera footage, a witness who saw the tail end of the incident, and a police body-worn camera recording.

As an officer examined the bruised and bloodied male, he revealed how he had feared for his life during the prolonged attack in the early hours of April 10 this year, and said: “I nearly got stabbed, I thought I was done for, thought I was dead.”

Sayer, 22, and 21-year-old Sherry later pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm, possessing a bladed article and assault by beating and at their sentencing hearing earlier this month, it was never revealed what had sparked the violent outburst, but footage lasting four minutes, showed Sayer, of Queens Avenue, Margate, and Sherry, of Harbour Street, Ramsgate, persistently chasing the homeless man and attacking him repeatedly even as he lay on the ground.

Sayer had only been released from a 31-month jail term for drug-related offences less than two months earlier and having been recalled to prison, he read a letter to the court expressing his remorse for the violence, which had left him feeling "sick to the stomach", and apologising not just to his two victims but also the wider public.

Passing sentence, Recorder Sarah Counsell jailed Sayer for a term of 18 months and said Sherry had played a "slightly lesser role" in the violence, so was handed a 12-month term of custody suspended for two years, with 40 rehabilitation activity requirements and 240 hours of unpaid work to complete.

Lee Barnett, Scott Wallwork and Stephen Austin

Three men were jailed for a combined total of nearly 10 years after police stopped a “suspicious” van leading to the discovery of a huge drugs haul.

The Ford Transit was stopped in New Ash Green, near Gravesend, back in April and when officers took it to a police station to carry out a search, they found 33 grams of cocaine.

Lee Barnett, Scott Wallwork and Stephen Austin were locked up. Picture: Kent Police

They then searched a commercial property in Gravesend that was linked to the van’s driver, Lee Barnett, where they discovered another half a kilogram of the drug along with a mixing bowl and set of scales and two other men were arrested the same day.

Stephen Austin was detained after he was seen walking away from the van towards a nearby property, where 53 grams of cocaine was located along with a large number of lottery tickets which had been folded and prepared to divide the drugs into separate deals.

Scott Wallwork was stopped in a car in West Kingsdown and a bucket in the vehicle was found to contain cocaine, cannabis and almost £1,000 in cash.

Barnett, 37, of Tensing Avenue, Gravesend; Austin, 45, of Upper Street South, Longfield, and Wallwork, 49, of Otford Road, Sevenoaks, were all charged with multiple offences.

At Woolwich Crown Court, Barnett pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine with intent to supply and he had also breached a previous suspended sentence and was jailed for five years.

Austin admitted two charges of possessing drugs with intent to supply, cocaine and cannabis and was sentenced to two years and three months. Wallwork pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing drugs with intent to supply, as well as a further charge of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and was jailed for two years and four months.

Blake Hindry

A man claiming to be an “English patriot” threatened to burn down a mosque in Kent as part of a series of disturbing calls made in the wake of the tragic killings of three young girls in Southport.

In response to “online misinformation”, Blake Hindry targeted three such places of worship - the other two being in London - putting listeners to his foul-mouthed phone rants, as well as faith leaders and worshippers, in fear.

Blake Hindry was jailed for two-and-a-half years in what the judge described as a religiously motivated and aggravated “torrent of hate and aggression”. Photo: Met Police

Described as “swearing and abusive”, the 30-year-old branded those of Islamic faith “paedophiles and killers” and chillingly warned one mosque volunteer in Hackney who answered a call: “We are going to burn down the mosques, we are going to kill you guys.”

His similar call threatening to burn down the Jamia Mosque in Gillingham, lasted 20 to 30 seconds until the recipient hung up, but bizarrely, Hindry, who is said to have a low IQ and on the autistic spectrum, claimed to be a Muslim following his arrest.

Hindry, of Rosebery Road, Gillingham, was said to have embarked “on a frolic of his own” with no link to any wider organisation when he phoned the three mosques on August 5.

Hindry, who has previous convictions including arson, battery, assault and sending malicious communications, made his first call to a mosque in Hackney, and left the recipient “fearful of an attack” on the building.

The second call was made to another mosque in south east London, when again he continued to rant, swear and make threats until he was hung up on and later phoned the Gillingham mosque, and although he raged, “We are going to come down and burn your mosque down”, he made no actual threat to kill.

He admitted to two offences of making threats to kill and three of threatening to destroy or damage property when he appeared before magistrates.

At his sentencing hearing at Maidstone Crown Court, Judge Julian Smith heard Hindry had 11 previous convictions for 23 offences including setting fire to a waste disposal skip, as well as threatening in two malicious calls to burn down a victim’s home with his family inside.

Hindry was jailed for two-and-a-half years and handed a 10-year restraining order banning him from contacting and attending Islamic places of worship or study.

Tom Doku, Arvaniti Ilirjan and Ervin Zenelaj

Three cannabis gardeners who said they were coerced into producing up to £2 million worth of the drug were jailed ahead of their probable deportation.

When police raided a unit at the Haine Industrial Park in Ramsgate, a drone hovering over the complex captured Tom Doku, Arvaniti Ilirjan and Ervin Zenelaj scrambling to escape.

Tom Doku, Arvaniti Ilirjan and Ervin Zenelaj were locked up. Picture: Kent Police

Canterbury Crown Court heard how the three men had been tending to more than 1,700 cannabis plants, spread across a sophisticated, nine-room grow site off Leigh Road, Newington.

The trio were taken into custody, while police explored the illicit factory and there were concerns that the electricity supply to the building had been tampered with, so engineers from UK Power Networks also attended the scene.

A total of 1,716 plants were located and if sold in bulk, the revenue from the harvest would range from £166,600 to £856,800 and all three defendants submitted bases of their guilty plea - in essence, they admitted they were gardeners and the prosecution didn’t seek to dispute that assertion.

Zenelaj, 33, and Ilirjan, 43 - who both had no previous convictions - were pressured to carry out the criminal cultivation, the court heard whereas Duko, 48, who also has a previous conviction for cannabis production, struggled to find legitimate work in the UK.

Zenelaj and Ilirjan were each handed 13-month prison terms, while Duko will serve 21 months in custody.

All three face deportation after they have been released from custody.

Marcus Edwards

A football steward live-streamed himself smearing and slapping raw bacon over a mosque door in a racially aggravated attack.

In the "provocative and offensive" video shared on his Bigo app account, which has 12,000 followers, Marcus Edwards could be seen holding a rasher in one hand and then wiping it over the glass and handle of the entrance to the Nasir Mosque in Gillingham.

Marcus (Mark) Edwards was locked up. Picture: Kent Police

Fuelled by alcohol, the 44-year-old could be heard telling his viewers "I'm going to slap the bacon on the mosque, 100%" while also repeatedly making racial and foul-mouthed comments, but Maidstone Crown Court heard that the mosque president was alerted to what was going on by an anonymous caller and he was later able to hand over videos of the live stream to police.

Edwards was also captured on CCTV with his "live" phone in his hand as he smeared the bacon across the door and, once arrested, a video depicting his conduct was discovered on his device in which he could be heard repeatedly saying "Wax on, wax off" and laughing.

But just hours before he was due to be interviewed for a steward's job at Gillingham Football Club, he was jailed for what a judge described as his "expression of contempt and antagonism".

It was, however, made clear throughout the sentencing hearing that although the timing of his actions was "quite extraordinary", they were not part of the wider "civil unrest" that has been experienced throughout the country in the wake of the Southport tragedy.

Edwards, of Gillingham Road, Gillingham, who has 21 previous convictions for 62 offences, pleaded guilty to an offence of racially aggravated criminal damage and the court heard he took to live-streaming his attack on the mosque in the early hours of Sunday, August 11.

The court also heard Edwards had "fallen to pieces" after his mother's death and as a result had abandoned his faith, turned to drink and lost his job as a football steward in London and the south east and he was locked up for six months for the offence.

Adrian Edwards

A crook faced with spending just seven days behind bars reacted by biting, kicking and spitting at police before twice performing a “dirty protest” once in custody.

Adrian Edwards had been arrested in Chatham on a fixed-term recall for failing to keep probation appointments when he lashed out at three constables and a prison van worker, and then smeared his excrement over two cells at Medway police station.

Adrian Edwards was jailed after staging a repeat dirty protest in prison. Photo: Kent Police

Maidstone Crown Court heard the "vile act" by the 49-year-old, who has a staggering 45 previous convictions for 132 crimes, left the force with a bill of £5,000 from the resulting damage and clean-up costs, but at his sentencing hearing it was Edwards who was left paying the price after losing his freedom for far longer than just one week.

Police had spotted the prolific criminal acting suspiciously in Clover Street on August 7 this year and, after checking his details, ascertained he was wanted on recall, but after being placed in handcuffs, he became "agitated, aggressive, and abusive", and as the officers tried to place him into the rear of a patrol car, he spat in the face of one constable, bit the gloved hand of a second and then kicked a third, causing a cut to a finger and thumb.

Once in custody, he refused to be interviewed and then, while being escorted from the police station, he spat at the Serco prison transport employee and this resulted in Edwards, of no fixed address, being returned to a custody cell where he then carried out the first of his two dirty protests.

He removed his clothes, defecated in his hands, threw it at the cell door and camera, and smeared it into the intercom before kicking the remainder of the faeces against the door," and just over four hours later, Edwards gave a repeat performance in a neighbouring cell.

Both intercoms had to be replaced at a total cost of £4,000 and the cells each deep-cleaned three times at a cost of just under £1,000 and the Serco van also had to be cleaned of Edwards' saliva.

He later admitted three offences of assault on an emergency worker, one of common assault, and three of criminal damage and the court heard his criminal record includes similar assaults on police and dirty protests, as well as burglary, theft, harassment and battery and at his sentencing hearing earlier this month, he was jailed for 22 weeks.

Joshua Bruton

A young boy cried “Mummy, I’m scared” as they hid from her knife-wielding boyfriend as he chillingly warned: “I’m going to get you!”

The pair cowered in dark alleyways and behind cars after bare-chested Joshua Bruton chased them out into the street from her home in Deal.

Joshua Bruton, from Cliftonville, was jailed for assaulting his girlfriend in Deal and brandishing a knife in the street. Picture: Kent Police

The 25-year-old thug from Cliftonville had turned up drunk at about midnight and accused his then partner of cheating, before attacking her and threatening to “knock her out”.

She fled with her young son as Bruton – who once stabbed a teenager – followed her into the road outside, topless and brandishing a knife. Details of the ordeal on February 20 were recounted by Judge Simon Taylor KC during a sentencing hearing.

He said Bruton had been chided by his partner for arriving at her home so late while her child was sleeping and he’d accused her of cheating with one of his friends and began pushing, shoving and punching her.

Canterbury Crown Court heard how the mother, along with her young son, managed to escape the house, but her attacker followed her out into the street where a neighbour heard the child crying saying ‘Mummy, I’m scared’ and the court heard Bruton had carried out the attack while out on licence for stabbing a teenager in 2020 – an offence for which he was jailed for four-and-a-half years.

After serving half of that sentence he was released, but subsequently recalled to prison to serve the remainder and he attended the sentencing hearing for his most recent crimes via video-link from HMP Isis.

At a previous hearing before Folkestone magistrates on February 21, Bruton, who has 14 previous convictions, including seven for violent offences, had pleaded guilty to possessing a bladed article in a public place and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

For the possession of a bladed article, Bruton received a custodial term of one year and 10 months, consecutively, he will serve a six-month jail sentence for the assault charge.

Nathan Palmer

A homeless thief who burgled his old school and repeatedly pinched from three stores in a six-month crime spree "to live" has been told by a judge he had “a choice not to steal”.

Nathan Palmer was already subject to a suspended sentence and on bail for the break-in at the Robert Napier School in Gillingham when he went out thieving.

Nathan Palmer was locked up. Photo: Kent Police

He had been identified as the culprit through DNA, when he targeted B&M Bargains in Queenborough and Aldi in Sheerness, and also a Co-op branch in Bobbing, near Sittingbourne.

Although it was alleged there was an inference he was “stealing to order”, Palmer's lawyer told Maidstone Crown Court that the 28-year-old resorted to crime simply to “fund living”, but that was rebuffed by Judge Julian Smith, who told the crook there was “no mitigation, explanation or justification” in his assertion - and that the money he must have received for the pilfered goods and spent on alcohol would have been “a pathetic return”.

Judge Smith was equally critical of the suggestion put forward on Palmer's behalf that the fact he chose his former school showed a lack of sophistication and awareness in his offending.

Palmer, said to be of no fixed address but formerly living in Johnson Avenue, Gillingham, admitted burglary of the school on May 19, 2022, and 17 theft offences committed between June 29 and December 19 2023.

Samuel Glanville, defending, said Palmer, who has 12 previous convictions for 28 offences, was in receipt of Universal Credit of £300 a month at the time which would last him just two weeks.

Jailing Palmer for a total of 12 months, Judge Smith told him he faced a "rather pathetic future" if he did not change his ways.

Ieasha and Bret Gilham

A brother and sister were locked up after a man was stabbed and left with a punctured lung during an attempted robbery at his home.

Bret and Ieasha Gilham, who between them have more than 100 crimes to their names, attacked their victim after Bret knocked at his door claiming there had been a collision between two vehicles.

Ieasha Gilham and brother Bret Gilham were both jailed after a man was stabbed during an attempted robbery at a house in Hawkinge. Picture: Facebook

He then pushed his way in, demanding money and drugs as the occupant of the flat tried to ward him off with a metal pole and a pair of scissors, but Maidstone Crown Court heard that in response to her younger brother's cry for help as he was hit, a shocked and panicking Ieasha Gilham, having picked up a knife, acted "instinctively" as she too came under attack.

A doorbell camera captured their victim fleeing his home in Hawkinge with the back of his t-shirt drenched in blood as the pair ran away, but screenshots from the footage matched the police facial recognition database, leading to the discovery of bloodstained clothing and the blade at 40-year-old Ieasha Gilham's home and then her eventual arrest.

Her 36-year-old brother was traced through the car he had been using that night and was apprehended three days later at a Premier Inn hotel and their victim, in the meantime, had to be airlifted to a London hospital with what was initially believed to be a life-threatening injury.

However, on further assessment, it was discovered that although his lung had been punctured, no chest drain was needed and his wound was simply cleaned and stitched and he was discharged the next day.

Ieasha Gilham subsequently pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and having a bladed article, while Bret Gilham admitted attempted robbery and despite not being the one who actually inflicted the knife wound, he was handed the longer spell behind bars after the judge explained it would not have occurred if he had not gone to the victim's home planning to rob him.

Ieasha Gilham, of Dickinson Terrace, Hawkinge, who has 21 previous convictions for 50 offences was jailed for three years and nine months and her brother, of Heartenoak Road, Hawkhurst, who has 29 previous convictions for 57 offences, including battery and robbery, was jailed for six years, of which he must serve two-thirds before he can be released.

Kieron Gallagher

The moment police stopped, Tasered and arrested a drug-fuelled driver who was ramming through stationary traffic on the A2 was caught on body-worn camera.

On New Year’s Day, Kieron Gallagher caused “absolute mayhem” when police chased him from the M2 at Medway to Gravesend in a stolen high-value Jaguar F Pace.

Kieron Gallagher, of Pitfield Crescent, Thamesmead, was for four years for dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, failing to stop and handling stolen goods. Picture: Kent Police

A roadblock had been created to try and bring the SUV to a safe stop, but in what a judge described as an "extraordinary and highly dangerous" manoeuvre, Gallagher reached the back of the vehicles at a stand-still on the London-bound carriageway near the A227 Wrotham Road junction, he simply "forced through" them, leaving many damaged in his wake.

The footage released by Kent Police showed officers making their way through the traffic with one one getting out of his police vehicle and catching up with the 22-year-old, who took advantage of the clear path that some motorists were creating in response to seeing and hearing the blue lights and sirens tailing him, with the officer smashing the window with his baton before he is joined by colleagues who Taser the defendant twice and pull him out of the car.

The young dad later tested positive for the breakdown product of cannabis and was more than twice the legal limit and was also subject to a suspended prison sentence imposed less than two months earlier at London's Old Bailey for a similar high-speed chase in a stolen car through the capital's streets.

Gallagher, of Pitfield Crescent, Thamesmead, later admitted handling stolen goods, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, two offences of failing to stop and breach of a 14-month jail term suspended for two years.

The jail term had been imposed, together with an 18-month driving ban, in November 2023 for offences of dangerous driving and driving without insurance.

Jailing Gallagher for four years, Judge Julian Smith said it was by "good fortune" he had not caused any injury, or worse and Gallagher was banned from driving for six years and five months.

Simon Thorpe

A cocaine dealer was foiled thanks to evidence found on his drug-dealing phone which he had also used to take photos and book a visit to a steakhouse.

Simon Thorpe, 34, from Tonbridge, was jailed for more than three years at Maidstone Crown Court.

Simone Thorpe was jailed for more than three years. Photo: Kent Police

Thorpe was arrested in Thomas Road, Aylesford on February 2 on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis, as part of a network known as “Dave”.

A search of his address led to the seizure of a phone and a kilogram of cannabis, with an estimated street value of £3,000 to £4,000 and analysis of the phone led to the discovery of family photos, messages to more than 300 drug users and a restaurant booking.

As a result of his visit to the Sevenoaks steakhouse, police subsequently spotted him on CCTV and the booking made on the drug-dealing phone enabled officers to secure charges against him of being concerned in the supply of cocaine, being concerned in the supply of cannabis, and possession with intent to supply cannabis.

Thorpe, of Eccles Close, Aylesford, pleaded guilty at Medway Magistrates’ Court earlier this year and he was remanded in custody before being jailed for three years and two months at Maidstone Crown Court.

Investigating officer, PC James O’Gorman, said: “Throughout the investigation, the offender demonstrated little remorse for the impact of his actions on the local community and the lives of the vulnerable substance users he took advantage of.

“Thorpe acted in consideration only of his own financial gain but crime does not pay and he will spend the next few years behind bars instead of enjoying his ill-gotten earnings.”

Russell Hogg

A convicted paedophile has been locked up again after approaching young children at a library.

Sex offender Russell Hogg, 64, has been jailed on multiple occasions and has a grim history of offences including downloading thousands of indecent images of children.

Paedophile Russell Hogg, 64, from Maidstone, was jailed again after approaching school children at a library. Picture: Kent Police

Hogg, of Middle Row, Maidstone, was sent back to prison for more than two years after breaching a court order and approaching young boys and girls at the town’s library after ignoring several measures which stopped his access to anyone under 16 by starting conversations with a group of children in school uniform.

The former Larkfield man was previously sent to prison in 2019, 2018 and 2010 for sex offences and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) in January 2018, after he was sentenced to prison for making and possessing child sex abuse images.

The order contained several restrictions designed to safeguard children, for when Hogg was granted parole and these included a ban on any unsupervised contact or communication with a child, as well as limitations around his use of the internet.

On April 24, Hogg went to Maidstone Library where a group of schoolchildren were sat at a table studying and he tried to engage them in conversation as well as staring at them and shouting towards them and he revisited the site over the following weeks and on May 12 he approached the same group, loitered around their table, while asking if they were meeting up socially or to study and Hogg was arrested and later charged with breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Appearing before Maidstone Crown Court, he pleaded guilty and admitted further charges which included failing to comply with notification requirements and possessing and making indecent images of children.

Judge Robert Lazarus sentenced Hogg to two years and 10 months’ imprisonment, describing him as “a committed paedophile” and upon his release from custody, he will be subject to a revised SHPO with further restrictions.

Oliver Marriott

A violent rapist was jailed for almost 20 years after committing several offences over two decades.

Oliver Marriott, 33, will be on the sex offenders’ register for life after being sentenced for his crimes.

Oliver Marriott, 33, from Cuxton near Strood, was jailed for multiple counts of rape. Picture: Kent Police

Marriott, from Cuxton near Strood, was sentenced at Croydon Crown Court earlier this month.

He had been charged with three counts of rape.

The court was also told he was also charged with actual bodily harm and two counts of controlling and coercive behaviour.

Other charges he was also sentenced over included two counts of assault by beating, criminal damage and possessing cocaine.

He pleaded guilty to all offences, some of which dated back before 2012.

Marriott was locked up for 18 years.

Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade

A Kent man was among four people jailed for forging marriage certificates, allowing people to live in the UK illegally.

Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade, from Gravesend, helped to forge more than 2,000 documents alongside other members of an organised crime group.

Abraham Alade Olarotimi Onifade from Gravesend was jailed for six years. Picture: Home Office

Nigerian nationals Abayomi Aderinsoye Shodipo, from Manchester, Nosimot Mojisola Gbadamosi, from Bolton, and Adekunle Kabir, from London, were also part of the gang.

The group has been jailed for a total of 13 years after a hearing at Woolwich Crown Court where it was heard how, between March 2019 and May 2023, the defendants conspired to make fraudulent EU Settlement Scheme applications.

They provided false Nigerian Customary Marriage Certificates and other fraudulent documentation to support the applications of Nigerian nationals in order for them to remain in the UK.

An investigation led by Home Office Criminal and Financial Investigators, in partnership with Home Office International Operations based in Lagos, uncovered more than 2,000 false marriage documents forged by the gang.

Onifade and Shodipo were both found guilty at trial of conspiracy to facilitate and conspiracy to provide articles used in fraud and Gbadamosi was convicted of obtaining leave to remain by deception and fraud by false representation.

Kabir was found guilty of possession of an identity document with improper intention but cleared of obtaining leave to remain by deception and Onifade received six years behind bars, Shodipo five years, Gbadamosi 18 months and Kabir nine months.

Stuart Turnbull

A jealous and paranoid thug said to "enjoy power over women" subjected his girlfriend to a campaign of abuse and violence within weeks of leaving prison.

Stuart Turnbull had only been free for a couple of months for what a judge described as "strikingly similar" behaviour towards a former partner when he resorted to punching, headbutting, kicking and even twice strangling his victim.

Violent thug Stuart Turnbull, of Biggin Street, Dover, was jailed for five years after a four-month abusive relationship with his girlfriend. Picture: Kent Police

Canterbury Crown Court heard the drink and drug-fuelled brute also controlled what she wore and how she styled her hair, demanded she donned fake eyelashes and nails, and isolated her from family and friends.

The woman was not only left bleeding, bruised and battered from his physical assaults but also wracked with feelings of dread, self-blame and weakness and even when she was brave enough to report him, she soon retracted her statement following pressure and threats from the 30-year-old Dover resident.

But on jailing Turnbull earlier this month, a judge praised her courage in going back to police, giving evidence at his trial and finally bringing him to justice and her coming forward resulted in Turnbull being handed the maximum jail term for such controlling and coercive behaviour.

Prosecutor Gemma Noble described how the woman was subjected to violence "almost immediately" after starting a relationship with Turnbull in July last year with one outburst in his van leading him to punch her repeatedly in the face, and then blaming her for bleeding in the vehicle.

Turnbull, who has 12 previous convictions for 24 offences, even marked his birthday by strangling her twice within 24 hours.

Turnbull, of Biggin Street, denied the accusations but a jury unanimously found him guilty of assault causing actual bodily harm, controlling and coercive behaviour, witness intimidation and two offences of intentional strangulation and he was jailed for five years and is subjected to a 10-year restraining order.

Lloyd Sands

A man was jailed for more than 10 years after raping a woman in her sleep and filming it on his phone.

Police found the sickening footage on Lloyd Sands mobile following the attack in the Canterbury area in 2019.

Lloyd Sands, from Plymouth, was jailed for raping a woman in Canterbury and filming the offence. Picture: Kent Police

He was arrested just hours after his victim told police the 30-year-old from Plymouth, Devon, had abused her as she slept, despite her telling him she did not consent.

Sands was charged with rape, attempted rape and voyeurism and convicted following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court.

He appeared before the same court on Friday, August 23 and was jailed for 12 years.

Investigating officer DS David Hinwood said: “Sands failed to accept responsibility for these terrible offences and thereby forced his victim to relive her ordeal in court.

“I would like to praise her for coming forward to report him and supporting the prosecution.

“I hope the resulting jail term gives her some sense of closure as she continues to rebuild her life.”

Roberto Rossi

A couple were sentenced after being found with a “substantial” amount of drugs.

Roberto Rossi was caught at Dartford railway station in February after deliberately trying to evade uniformed officers.

Roberto Rossi of Hollingbourne Avenue, Bexleyheath, has been sentenced to 16 months in jail and ordered to pay a surcharge of £187

He admitted being in possession of cocaine after being approached and asked about his behaviour and after being searched, police found an iPhone, which he denied was his, with incoming messages asking for drugs, as well as more than £1,000 in cash.

He was arrested and a subsequent search of the address he shared with girlfriend Joanne Branscombe uncovered a substantial amount of class A and class B drugs, which resulted in her arrest and the pair were charged and sentenced at Inner London Crown Court.

Rossi pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply a class B drug (ketamine and cannabis), one count of possession of a class A drug (cocaine) and one count of possession of a class B drug (amphetamine).

The 37-year-old, of Hollingbourne Avenue, Bexleyheath, was sentenced to 16 months in jail and ordered to pay a surcharge of £187.

Branscombe pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply class B drugs (cannabis and ketamine), possession of a class B drug (amphetamine) and possession of a class a drug (cocaine).

The 44-year-old, of Samson Close, Dartford, was sentenced to 22 months, suspended for two years and ordered to pay a surcharge of £187.

Kevin Pook

A fraudster was jailed for swindling a couple out of £170,000 in an investment scam.

Gillingham resident Kevin Pook was sentenced to more than a year in prison after funds meant for a legitimate company were instead transferred to one in his name.

Kevin Pook from Gillingham was jailed for his role in a £170,000 investment scam. Picture: Kent Police

In October 2020, the victims received a fraudulent email, which they believed was from the same organisation they were considering investing in.

A year later, it was realised they had been left empty-handed after the telephone numbers they had previously been provided no longer worked.

A police investigation established that the funds had instead been transferred to a shell company, NEG Services LTD, based in Ocean Drive, Gillingham, which listed Mr Pook as the sole director.

He originally could not be traced as it was believed he had moved to Portugal, but Pook returned to the UK on January 10 and was arrested at Stansted Airport.

The following day, Mr Pook was charged with money laundering and later pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court.

Earlier this month he was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison.

Michael Goodwin

A pensioner with a fetish for listening to women urinate claimed he was “desperate” from a stomach upset when caught using ladies’ cubicles.

Perverted Michael Goodwin was spotted "shuffling" into the female lavatories at Herons Leisure Centre in Herne Bay on June 21 this year.

Michael Goodwin, 67 and of Herne Bay, was jailed at Canterbury Crown Court for breaching a sexual harm prevention order Picture: Facebook

The 67-year-old was subject to a court order at the time banning him from not only entering female and unisex toilets but also from "lingering, waiting and standing" outside public loos.

But Canterbury Crown Court heard that having followed two women into the William Street facilities on two separate occasions, he chose cubicles next to ones they had occupied.

During one toilet visit, he emerged with his joggers lowered and his hands in his groin area before heading into the cubicle which had just been used.

His warped behaviour was reported to police and when he was arrested he was also found with a phone he had not disclosed to officers and despite denying he had followed women into the lavatories for sexual gratification, he subsequently revealed he has a fetish for listening to women urinate.

Goodwin, of High View Avenue, Herne Bay, later admitted three breaches of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and breach of a suspended sentence imposed in February this year for three voyeurism offences and the pensioner was also cautioned in 2021 for outraging public decency.

Jailing Goodwin for a total of two years and 10 months, Recorder Sarah Counsell rejected his explanation of feeling unwell and said he had "deliberately targeted" women for sexual pleasure and the court heard his SHPO is not due to run out until February 2031.

Abdallah Chakir

A drug dealer who was caught when dozens of cocaine deals fell out of his trouser leg after he was pulled over by police has been jailed.

Abdallah Chakir claimed he had been in London clubbing for several days when officers stopped the car he was in.

Abdallah Chakir has been sentenced to two years and eight months’ imprisonment

But ANPR cameras has picked the car up stopping at various points across Tunbridge Wells.

When Chakir got out of the car, around 100 wraps of cocaine fell from his trouser leg.

Chakir, of no fixed address, was charged with possessing cocaine with intent to supply.

The 36-year-old pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years and eight months’ imprisonment at Maidstone Crown Court.

Antony Gjergji

The discovery of a fake wall hiding more than 1,000 cannabis plants has led to a man being jailed.

Police officers searched a property in Peacock Street, Gravesend, on January 4, where they found a false wall leading down to a basement.

Antony Gjergji, 28, of Peacock Street, Gravesend, has been imprisoned after officers found 1,000 cannabis plants behind a false wall. Picture: Kent Police

They then discovered more than 1,000 cannabis plants were being cultivated.

Antony Gjergji, of Peacock Street, Gravesend, was arrested and later charged with producing cannabis which he pleaded not guilty to.

Following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court, the 28-year-old was convicted and sentenced to four years and six months in prison on August 9.

Read more

More by this author

sticky

© KM Group - 2024