More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
There were a lot of people who committed crimes and were jailed for their offences last month.
Here's just some of the criminals including dangerous drivers, drug dealers, perverts, thugs and thieves who were locked up in July.
Stuart and Carly Powell
A lying couple who tried to cover up a fatal crash which killed a biker were handed sentences.
Learner driver Stuart Powell, 34, ploughed into a motorcycle killing the rider and leaving his friend Adam Davies severely injured.
But as victim Ryan Rudden, 26, lay dying in the road on May 12, 2021, father-of-four Powell called his wife Carly, 36, who then lied to police claiming her car had been stolen.
Their lies resulted in two innocent people being arrested and held in custody for 12 hours as officers hunted the driver, but last month, the devious couple, of Miller Close, Kemsley, were sentenced after admitting they tried to pervert the course of justice.
Stuart Powell, also admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was jailed for five years and 10 months and banned from driving for 119 months.
Carly was told she would have been jailed for eight months, but Judge Julian Smith was told an immediate sentence could result in her not receiving treatment for her MS.
Instead, the sentence was suspended for two years, but as she sat in the dock waiting to be released someone in the public gallery shouted: “I hope you suffer Carly. I hope you suffer.”
Stuart Powell had been distracted at the time of the collision and had been using his phone. After leaving the scene he called his wife and she called the police to falsely report her car had been stolen.
Max Evans
A fraudster was jailed for more than three years after scamming pensioners to fund his gambling habit.
Max Evans, from Tydeman Road in Bearsted, used almost £160,000 of his elderly victims’ money given to him across three separate scams.
In 2015, Evans persuaded a pensioner he knew to give him access to their money, claiming he would move it to a savings account to accrue interest and he received nearly £79,000 from the victim over a period of five years but used it entirely for the purpose of gambling.
The 30-year-old used the same scam on an elderly relative between 2017 and 2021 to receive £35,000 which he also lost on making losing bets with bookmakers.
Kent Police was contacted when the first victim started to have difficulty paying their bills and it was suspected Evans had been acting dishonestly.
Investigators examined his financial and phone records and identified a third victim who had transferred a large amount of money to him as a loan after he told them he had rent arrears and was at risk of becoming homeless.
This money was lost on gambling as soon as he received it in his account and Evans was charged with three counts of fraud by false representation and money laundering.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to three years and four months’ imprisonment.
Michael Lilley
A drunk thug who groped and punched a woman before threatening to “bash her head in” with a lamp was jailed.
Michael Lilley, of Sheerness, sexually attacked his victim in a prolonged encounter which left her with injuries all over her body.
At a sentencing hearing at Canterbury Crown Court, Judge Simon Taylor KC was told that Lilley had drunk almost an entire litre of vodka before flying into a rage at an address in Sittingbourne.
But luckily, the victim was able to get away and suffered only minor injuries including scratches and bruises to her legs, arms, eye and breast.
Lilley, of Granville Road, Sheerness, was charged with sexual assault and was found guilty at magistrates court and sentenced last month at the crown court.
Mitigating, defence barrister Sophie Nandy explained that her client had been making progress to improve himself and help fellow inmates.
“Mr Lilley accepts that he is an alcoholic, but he has taken steps and acted proactively towards recovery,” said Ms Nandy.
Lilley was jailed for two years and nine months, including three months for breaching a previous suspended sentence.
Charlie Parker
A depraved stalker who uploaded hundreds of photos of a woman to an online sex forum was brought to justice – after she caught him in the act.
Charlie Parker, from Westgate-on-Sea, harassed his terrified victim for seven years, leaving her feeling unsafe in her own home, where she installed panic alarms and security cameras.
Canterbury Crown Court heard last month how Parker, 33, encouraged others to perform sex acts while looking at the photos he shared on the website.
The “obsessed” father-of-two, who worked in security, also posted her private information including her address, contact details and car registration number. This led to her receiving vile emails from anonymous accounts.
The woman, who KentOnline has not named, had thought Parker was responsible but was unable to produce any evidence, but he was finally snared after she literally caught him with his pants down when she recognised his jumper in one of the graphic pictures.
The court heard how the campaign of harassment started in 2012 when the victim started being sent disturbing messages.
Unbeknown to her at the time, Parker, of Linksfield Road, had uploaded pictures of her, her underwear and some pictures including her children, to an illicit chat room.
Parker, pleaded guilty to the charge of stalking involving serious harm or distress and was jailed for 34 months and an indefinite restraining order not to contact his victim, go to her address, take any photograph of her or upload any of her information to the internet, was also issued.
Lewis Barovbe and Stephen Gillard
Two violent bullies were jailed after stabbing a man with scissors and broken glass in a row over drugs he flushed down the toilet.
Lewis Barovbe and Stephen Gillard repeatedly attacked the vulnerable victim last year, as they were using his home in Rochester to store supplies of Class A drugs.
The assaults took place after a large quantity of crack cocaine was left at the victim’s address near the Tideway, causing him to panic and flush the drugs down a toilet.
In response, Barovbe and Gillard went to the property on July 4 last year and demanded £1,000 and Barovbe kicked the man several times and then stabbed the side of his head with a pair of scissors.
They returned three days later when Barovbe assaulted the victim again and smashed a mirror over his head and he then stabbed him several times with a shard of the broken glass.
The victim crawled to his front door to call for help but Gillard dragged him back inside and the man was then made to clear up the blood on the floor with bleach and place the broken mirror in a bin bag.
Gillard disposed of the bag in a neighbouring garden and the police were alerted after a member of the public saw blood stains outside the victim’s home and Barovbe, 26, of no fixed address and Gillard, 33, of Trevale Road, Rochester, were arrested on 11 July.
At Maidstone Crown Court, Barovbe pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and Gillard admitted causing grievous bodily harm and Barovbe was sentenced to eight years and Gillard was jailed for two years and three months and both men will be subject to restraining orders to stay away from the victim on release from prison.
Bradley Hewett
A drug dealer involved in the supply of large amounts of cocaine and cannabis was jailed for 10 years after police cracked a messaging service used by criminals.
Bradley Hewett, from Bapchild, near Sittingbourne, was caught after international law enforcement agencies decoded the EncroChat mobile phone platform.
Using the name “Stream Burrito”, Hewett was involved in buying and selling significant quantities of cocaine valued at between £34,000 and £40,000 per kilogram.
He was also involved in the supply of cannabis worth between £4,000 and £4,900 per kilogram. The EncroChat service was decoded by international law enforcement agencies in the spring of 2020, with messages sent by “Stream Burrito” between March and April passed to Kent Police for further investigation.
On Tuesday, May 24, 2022, Hewett, 37, was arrested at his home and later charged with being concerned in the supply of Class A and B drugs.
He pleaded guilty to both offences and was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court last month to a decade behind bars.
Investigating officer DC Aaron Chapman, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “The length of the custodial sentence Bradley Hewett must now serve reflects the key role he played in the supply of illegal substances in Kent.
“The name ‘Stream Burrito’ had become familiar to us due to messages Hewett exchanged with other drug suppliers who have either already been sentenced or are due to in the near future, not to mention the sheer volume of cocaine and cannabis that passed through his hands on a weekly basis.”
To see the criminals locked up in June click here.
Lee Prescott
A cocaine supplier was jailed for nine years after a heavily-encrypted messaging service he used to conduct deals was cracked by police.
Lee Prescott, from Greenhithe, arranged to purchase kilogram blocks of the Class A drug using the illegal EncroChat mobile phone platform, unaware the software had been cracked by international law enforcement agencies.
Police were provided with messages showing that between April and the end of May 2020, Prescott had agreed to buy 6kg of cocaine in addition to 20kg of cannabis.
They also proved that Prescott, using the name ‘Jungle Painter’, was a key member of a drug supply network and would regularly discuss the cost and quality of illegal substances.
On two occasions he was found to have collected kilogram blocks of cocaine in person, once from a location in West Kingsdown and another from South Darenth.
Prescott, 35, was arrested at his home in Knockhall Road in March when officers also discovered an extendable baton and a knuckleduster during a search.
He was later charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis and possession of offensive weapons and pleaded guilty to all offences.
Prescott was jailed for nine years at Woolwich Crown Court last month.
Jake Crawley
A sex offender was jailed for five years after sending a child obscene messages and paying them for sexual services.
Jake Crawley, of Granville Road in Sheerness, committed multiple online sex offences after contacting a 15-year-old on social media.
Between November and December 2022, Crawley sent the child inappropriate texts as well as gifts, including money and a bottle of alcohol, despite knowing the recipient was underage.
Police were notified of the offences on December 28, 2022, and, following initial enquiries, officers executed a search warrant at Crawley’s home on January, 4, this year.
Detectives seized a mobile phone containing photos and videos of the victim, as well as chat logs from social media apps and they also recovered packaging and order forms for the gifts he had sent.
Crawley was arrested and taken into custody where he was later charged with sexual offences, including two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, paying for the sexual services of a child, and sexual communications with a child.
Crawley was jailed for five years and is subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and he was also added to the sex offenders’ register for life.
James Hammacott and Sam Marshall
Two drug dealers found with thousands of pounds of cash in a shoebox were jailed.
James Hammacott and Sam Marshall were in a Mercedes van which police suspected was linked to drug dealing on February 1 this year.
It was stopped as it was driven along the A299 Thanet Way near St Nicholas-at-Wade and officers searched the vehicle.
Inside were two packages of cocaine, each weighing more than a kilo, and a shoebox containing more than £25,000 in cash.
Both men were arrested and later charged by detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.
Marshall, 32, of Almodington, West Sussex, was jailed for six years and one month at Canterbury Crown Court.
Hammacott, 22, of no fixed abode, was given a five-year, nine-month sentence at the same hearing.
Rocco Mustafa, Claire White and Reece Willis
Two teenagers were jailed after a 20-year-old was stabbed and killed and one of his murderer’s mums was also locked up for helping her son escape from the area after the attack happened.
Thomas Waugh was sitting on a bench with two friends in Tonbridge Racecourse Park during the early hours of August 19 last year when they were approached by two people they didn’t know.
Rocco Mustafa, 18, who was holding a Rambo knife, and Reece Willis, 17, threatened them and demanded they hand over their mobile phones. The victims attempted to negotiate with the pair until Thomas said he would instead pay them some cash and ran from the scene.
In his absence, his two friends, fearing violence, surrendered a gold chain, a packet of cigarettes and £5 in cash, but at this point, Thomas returned holding a stick and caused a distraction to allow his friends to escape and he then ran towards Avebury Avenue pursued by the offenders who caught up with him in a car park, where he was stabbed in the torso by Mustafa.
His friends, concerned for him, returned to find him and saw a member of the public giving first aid until the arrival of paramedics, but following further treatment, Thomas died at the scene.
Detectives swiftly identified Mustafa, 18 and Willis, 17, as responsible for Thomas’ death and they were both arrested and the Crown Prosecution Service authorised a charge of murder for both of them. They were also charged with two robberies and an attempted robbery and White was also arrested and charged with assisting an offender.
In January, Mustafa, from south London, appeared before Maidstone Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to all the charges.
Officers were able to prove that Mustafa, of Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon, called his mother, Claire White, on his mobile phone soon after the incident and that she travelled to Tonbridge to collect him, but because of the amount of police in the town, she returned home and collected him the following morning.
Willis, of Barden Park Road, Tonbridge, entered not guilty pleas but was convicted in April, of all the charges, including murder, following a trial at the same court and White, also from Coulsdon, who had pleaded not guilty to assisting an offender was also convicted on the same date and last month, Mustafa was jailed for 18 years and 215 days, Willis was jailed for 14 years and 33 days and White, 48, received three years.
Kojo O’Hene
A man was given an extended 11-year jail sentence after a deal to exchange drugs for designer clothes ended in bloodshed.
Kojo O’Hene, 45, from Upper Grosvenor Road, Tunbridge Wells, took revenge by stabbing victim Aleksander Dimitrov seven times with a “Rambo” knife.
Maidstone Crown Court heard how in August 2022 Mr Dimitrov and O’Hene agreed to exchange designer clothes for wraps of drugs, but prosecutor Patrick Dennis told Maidstone Crown Court how Mr Dimitrov felt he had been short-changed by O’Hene.
He said: "A heated argument ensued between Mr Dimitrov and O’Hene via phone, including voice notes and on August 18, 2022, O’Hene invited Mr Dimitrov to attend his address under the pretence of making peace.
But the prosecutor told the jury how O’Hene was not interested in resolving the matter amicably but wanted to “exact revenge" by launching "a savage and frenzied attack", repeatedly stabbing his victim with a “Rambo” knife seven times.
Police were called to a property in Belgrave Road where a man suffering multiple stab wounds had knocked on the front door seeking assistance. He was given first aid until officers and paramedics arrived and Mr Dimitrov was taken to hospital suffering from life threatening injuries.
Inquiries quickly led officers to O’Hene’s home, where they found further traces of blood in his living room, where an attempt had been made to clear them up using a mop and he was later arrested and charged with attempted murder.
O’Hene denied the charge but was convicted at Maidstone Crown Court last month of causing grievous bodily harm with intent after he was cleared of attempted murder, however, the 45-year-old received an 11-year extended sentence, including an immediate eight-year jail term plus three years extended licence period after being found dangerous.
Salman Siddiqi
A disgraced children’s doctor was jailed for 28 months after arranging to meet an underage boy for sex on hospital grounds.
Intensive care paediatrician Salman Siddiqi - who was allowed to continue treating youngsters at Margate's QEQM hospital despite having a police caution for flashing - was arrested at the site following a sting by a self-professed “paedophile hunter”.
The anonymous detective - who works alone - had pretended to be a 14-year-old boy and arranged to meet the consultant at his lodgings in the hospital grounds.
Siddiqi, 44, from London, sent naked pictures of himself ahead of the 3am encounter on January 8 this year and was expecting the pair to engage in sexual activity.
But when he was instead confronted outside the accommodation by a 49-year-old man, he turned and ran into the hospital's A&E department.
The 'paedo hunter' gave chase while calling police, following Siddiqi through a number of doors he was opening using a security card.
Siddiqi was eventually detained by staff and arrested when officers arrived at the hospital, before being charged.
He was jailed last month at Canterbury Crown Court for 28 months and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.
Brett Morris
A robber who forced his way into a home and assaulted the elderly homeowners before running away with a purse was jailed for eight years.
During the evening of April 8, Brett Morris burst through the front door of a house near West Park Road, Maidstone.
The residents had never met him before and one of the victims - a man in his 80s – fell to the floor during a struggle with Morris, who then kicked his head twice.
Morris also demanded money from a woman in her 90s who was present, before stealing a purse and leaving.
Police attended and the victim was treated for facial injuries.
After looking at CCTV footage in the area, Morris was identified and arrested the following day.
Morris, of no fixed address, was later charged with robbery.
The 48-year-old pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court last month and was sentenced to eight years imprisonment with an additional four years on licence when he is released.
Darren Griffin and Jack Mayers
A pair of violent criminals threatened to steal their victim’s child before kicking him in the stomach and punching him in the face while demanding cash.
The two men were jailed for more than 10 years after the aggravated burglary in Folkestone on October 18 last year.
In the incident, the pair broke into a flat in Earls Avenue and proceeded to demand money.
Perpetrators Jack Mayers, from Hythe, and Darren Griffin, from Folkestone, took off with cash and jewellery after battering the male homeowner and threatening to take one of his children.
Two days after the break-in, Mayers, 28, was arrested, and police caught up with 30-year-old Griffin the following month.
Griffin, formerly of Rendezvous Street in the town, admitted burglary and assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was jailed for six years at Canterbury Crown Court on June 22.
Mayers, formerly of Springfield Way in Hythe, also admitted aggravated burglary and was jailed for five years at the same court hearing.
After sentencing, DC Alice Henham said: “We are determined to tackle violent crime and take offenders off the streets by bringing them before the courts.”
Kuran Gill
A convicted drug dealer who stabbed a police officer is now spending a further two-and-a-half years in prison.
Kuran Gill, 32, attacked the PC with a knife in Sun Marsh Way, Gravesend, during the incident on April 21, 2021.
Police had attended his home to arrest him and search the property as part of a drug supply investigation but were met with Gill holding a knife in the kitchen where he then stabbed one of the officers in the arm.
The PC later underwent surgery and has since returned to full duty.
During the search, police seized £105,000 in cash.
At Woolwich Crown Court last month, Gill was found guilty of grievous bodily harm.
He had already previously been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to import cannabis and supply cocaine and possession of criminal property.
Gill was part of an organised crime group that smuggled drugs into the UK from Canada hidden inside computer casings.
Dean Mountain
A paedophile was jailed for 14 years after destroying the lives of three children.
Dean Mountain, of Wallwood Road in Ramsgate, subjected the trio to horrifying abuse decades ago.
The 53-year-old's brave victims told a court last month how their mental scars may never heal following the suffering they experienced at Mountain’s hands.
“Dean stole my childhood. Instead of being free to play and enjoy my childhood, I was burdened with fear, guilt and so much confusion," one said.
"I am not sure I will ever be free of it,” another told Mountain's sentencing hearing at Norwich Crown Court.
Following a four-week trial at the same court, Mountain was found guilty of eight counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Mountain will also serve eight years on licence and was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which will see him subjected to a lifetime of notification requirements.
Marian Ghita
A burglar was jailed after more than £11,000 of mobile phones and tablets were stolen from a store.
Marian Ghita travelled to Maidstone with three accomplices, intent on targeting a shop in Fremlin Walk.
At around midnight on Monday, May 29, three of the gang forced open the main door and stole a number of electronic devices worth more than £11,000 from display cabinets.
A police crime squad investigated and after examining CCTV footage, they identified two cars used by the culprits.
An Audi was later connected to Ghita and found parked outside his home address in east London. The second was a Peugeot, which was also located nearby.
Ghita, of Florence Gardens, Romford was arrested on Wednesday, June 14.
Detectives were able to prove that he had travelled to and from Maidstone at around the time of the break-in.
He was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court and last month, the 48-year-old was sentenced to two years and three months’ imprisonment.
Michael Mayes
A 35-year-old man who controlled the supply of Class A drugs through county lines was jailed.
Michael Mayes, of Bengal Road in Ramsgate, appeared before Ipswich Crown Court, where he was sentenced to four years and three months imprisonment.
Mayes had previously pleaded guilty to being concerned with the supply of crack cocaine, the supply of heroin, and money laundering.
Following an investigation, Mayes was identified as the person running a county line through Suffolk called ‘Rockstar’.
In early May 2021, a known drug user was arrested in Ipswich for an unrelated matter and their phone was seized.
Analysis of the phone found a number of messages had been received in the typical style of those sent by county lines operations offering drugs for sale, linked to a particular number calling itself ‘Rockstar’.
Over the next four months, further arrests and phone seizures provided more evidence of the ‘Rockstar’ line operating in Ipswich.
On 20 September 2021, officers executed a warrant under the Misuse of Drugs Act at an address in Station Street, Ipswich and Mayes was one of the people found at the address and had £1,200 hidden in a trainer.
Jason Robson
A child sex offender who subjected his victim to horrific violence was locked up.
Jason Robson, from Ramsgate, forced their head into a toilet, held a knife to their throat and pushed them down a flight of stairs.
He also committed a number of sexual offences against the victim in addition to repeatedly punching and kicking them.
The historic crimes were reported to police in June 2020 and Robson, 47, of Grummock Avenue, was arrested and later charged.
He denied all the allegations but was found guilty of the attacks, alongside five child sex offences following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court.
Robson was jailed for eight years last month.
Investigating officer DC Chris Radley said: “The victim in this case showed tremendous courage in coming forward to report the awful offences committed against them.
“I would like to pay tribute to them for the dignity they have shown throughout, and for continuing to support the investigation even when Jason Robson refused to accept responsibility for his crimes and put the victim through the difficulty of trial.”
Kyle Pepperell
A paedophile was locked up after asking a teenage girl to send him indecent images via WhatsApp.
Kyle Pepperell, of Eastcourt Lane, Gillingham, exchanged several explicit messages with the young child, believed to be 13-years-old, between January and February 2021.
The 36-year-old requested images be sent to him via the texting app which he also used to share an indecent video of himself.
All messages were reported to police and Pepperell was arrested on March 5, 2021.
He was charged with three counts of attempting to commit a child sex offence, all of which he denied in Maidstone Crown Court last month.
The court found him guilty and sentenced him to five years and three months in prison.
DC Deniz Aslan, said: “Criminals such as Pepperell should be under no illusion that online chat rooms and social media are a safe space for them to groom vulnerable young people.
“If you go online with the intention of committing a child sex offence, you will be arrested and sent to prison.”
