The worst criminals jailed in Kent in 2025 including killers, and child sex offenders

Gang behind large-scale drugs operation dismantled

An organised crime group responsible for the supply of class A drugs in Kent has been dismantled. On Thursday, January 30, five members of a cocaine network based in Thanet were sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court following a Kent Police investigation.

John Horn was the leader of the group and enlisted the services of fellow Ramsgate resident Oliver Eyles to manage the day-to-day running of their criminal enterprise, including the onward distribution of cocaine to other street dealers.

Each of the offenders pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply cocaine prior to their sentencing. Horn, 38, of Highfield Road, Ramsgate, was sentenced to six years and six months in prison. Eyles, 36, of Lavender Lane, Ramsgate, was jailed for five years and six months.

Joseph Shuttleworth, 35, of Orchard Close, Ramsgate, received a custodial sentence of two years and four months. Jason Tse, 41, of Beach Road, Westgate, was sentenced to three years and 10 months’ imprisonment. Christopher Palmer, 34, of Nixon Avenue, Ramsgate, received a two year suspended prison sentence.

Driver jailed for fatal collision

Jack Cracknell has been handed a prison sentence after he caused the death of a teenage girl by crashing his car after driving at nearly three times the speed limit. The 22-year-old was driving four people back from a nightclub in his Ford Fiesta in the early hours of Saturday, December 3, 2022.

An investigation showed he had reached a speed of around 117mph while travelling up a 40mph speed limit stretch of the New Dover Road in Canterbury. He then lost control of the vehicle which left the road before colliding with a roundabout, street furniture and The Old Gate Inn pub and hotel.

Lucy Billingham, 18, was one of four passengers in the car and was sitting in the rear left seat of the vehicle when the collision took place. She suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased by paramedics at the scene.

Another of the car’s occupants suffered a serious broken wrist and bruising to his body and arms. Cracknell, of Ospringe, Faversham, was arrested that night and later charged with causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He admitted both charges before Canterbury Crown Court in November 2024 and was sentenced to six years at the same court on Friday, January 31 2025.

February

Crime group jailed for pocketing millions in unpaid taxes

Seven members of an organised crime group who pocketed an estimated £22 million in unpaid taxes have been jailed. A complex investigation by Kent Police and HMRC found the group set up a series of labour supply companies keeping VAT payments from customer companies that should have gone to HMRC for themselves.

The elaborate plot came to light when one of the group, Phillip Bailey, was arrested and investigated for firearms, theft and money laundering offences in April 2020. As part of their enquiries, officers began looking into the 36-year-old’s finances and established he was a criminal accountant.

Bailey, from Beechwood Gardens, Meopham, was found to have set up agreements with recruited construction and logistics companies. Bailey set up front companies and bank accounts to divert tax payments away from HMRC.

The companies and accounts were set up in the names of front directors, not his own. In turn he would pay off complicit company directors with a portion of the money he made from the scheme.

One of these was Kevin Ratcliffe, 43, from Longhill Road, Ovingdean, Brighton, who owned a construction company in Sussex. Following Bailey’s arrest in 2020, Daniel Newton, 37, from Whitefriars Wharf in Tonbridge became the group’s criminal accountant and carried on its activities in Bailey’s absence.

• Phillip Bailey pleaded guilty to conspiring to cheat the public revenue and transferring criminal property (money laundering) at an earlier hearing. He was jailed for six years and three months.
• Daniel Newton pleaded guilty to conspiring to cheat the public revenue and transferring criminal property (money laundering) at an earlier hearing. He was jailed for nine years and four months.
• Kevin Ratcliffe pleaded guilty to cheating the public revenue and acquiring criminal property at an earlier hearing and was jailed for 27 months.

The following were found guilty following a trial and sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday, February 4:

• Sean Dean, conspiracy to cheat the public revenue and jailed for seven years.
• Lee Hudson, conspiracy to cheat the public revenue and acquiring criminal property (money laundering) He was jailed for five years.
• Sarah Gillard, acquiring criminal property (money laundering) She was jailed for two years, suspended for two years.
• Bradley Mortimer, entering into a money laundering arrangement and was jailed for three and a half years.

Phillip Bailey, Daniel Newton, Sean Dean and Kevin Ratcliffe were also disqualified from being company directors for 10 years.

Jail for man who carried out sexual assaults

A man who sexually assaulted two girls in Ash, near Sandwich, has been jailed. Kent Police was contacted in 2022 and it was reported that two girls had been sexually assaulted in the village.

Jahrad Alderton-Ford, from Ash, was arrested the same day as the report was received. The now 43-year-old was subsequently charged with two counts of sexual assault, but denied the offences, resulting in a trial.

He was convicted of the offences at Canterbury Crown Court in October 2024, and was sentenced at the same court on February 7, 2025. He was jailed for seven years and ordered to serve an extra year on licence following that term.

Alderton-Ford will also be the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order until further notice, to reduce the risk of him reoffending following his release.

Violent offender jailed

Cyrese Moses attacked two men outside a business in Rochester. The 22-year-old, from Caterham, Surrey, entered a shop on May 12, 2023, carrying a weapon and chased a man from the building, before assaulting him with a brick.

The victim sustained a minor injury to his hand. A second man, known to the victim, was seriously assaulted by Moses before managing to flee and raise the alarm.

Patrols attended along with South East Coast Ambulance Service and a 19-year-old man was treated for injuries consistent with stab wounds. He was taken to a London hospital for further treatment and was later discharged.

An arrest was made after Moses was detained in the street by his first victim – with assistance from passing members of the public – and a sword was seized. The following day Moses was charged.

Moses pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent, possession of an offensive weapon and assault. On February 10 at Maidstone Crown Court, he was given an extended sentence with a custodial period of five years and three months.

Collapse of Scarface drugs network

Weapons including samurai swords, nunchucks and a spear were seized from the home of a Tonbridge drug dealer who has now been jailed. Daniel Bruford had been operating multiple cocaine supply lines across west Kent, known locally as the ‘Scarface’ network.

Bruford controlled several phones to facilitate more than 32,000 calls and text messages advertising cocaine over the course of almost a year. He used runners to deliver the drugs through a system of texts and postcodes.

Bruford was arrested during the early hours of September 27, 2024, when officers executed a search warrant at his property in Mount Pleasant Court, Hildenborough. They recovered several weapons, which also included knuckle dusters, machetes and an extendable baton.

Cocaine deals and more than £1,100 in cash were also seized. The 27-year-old pleaded guilty at Medway Magistrates’ Court to being concerned in the supply of cocaine (between October 2023 and September 2024).

He also admitted possessing criminal property (namely the seized cash), as well as charges of possessing offensive weapons. Bruford was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on February 12, 2025, to five years and six months’ imprisonment.

He will also be the subject of a financial investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act, to claw back any criminal gains resulting from his offending.

March

Violent thug stabbed three people – then tried to flee UK

Eric Da Silva-Soares was responsible for a brutal knife attack in Dartford town centre linked to his infatuation with a woman he knew. His feelings were not reciprocated. During the evening of August 31, 2024, the woman, who was in her 20s, was with her partner and another man in Spital Street, when she received a telephone call from a friend.

She was advised Da Silva-Soares was in the town and had threatened to kill them if she did not leave her partner. Around 10 minutes later, the woman saw him approaching and carrying a bag.

Da Silva-Soares pulled a knife from the bag and stabbed the victim in her stomach and left arm. Her partner, who was also in his 20s, intervened to protect her but he was also repeatedly stabbed. Their friend tried to pull Da Silva-Soares away but he was stabbed in the back. Da Silva-Soares then returned to stabbing the woman’s partner again, including to his face, until all three victims managed to escape to a nearby fast food restaurant.

Staff at the establishment locked the doors to prevent the culprit following them and Da Silva-Soares fled the scene. The three victims were taken to hospital where they underwent surgery for their serious injuries. The injuries to the woman’s partner were described as life-changing.

On September 1, Da Silva-Soares sent a text message to the woman he had stabbed admitting his actions were “unforgivable”. The following day, his efforts to evade justice were thwarted when Kent Police detectives directed officers at Edinburgh Airport to detain him as he sought to catch a flight out of the country.

Da Silva-Soares, of Wharfside Close, Erith, south-east London, was charged and pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to two counts of attempted murder and one of unlawful wounding. On March 7, 2025, the 29-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The judge considered him to be a dangerous offender and he will have to serve a minimum of 12 years and 10 months before he becomes eligible for parole.

Prisoner murdered fellow inmate with improvised weapons

A prisoner who murdered a fellow inmate in a brutal attack at HMP Maidstone has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Sasan Rabat carried out the fatal assault in his own cell, leaving his victim with catastrophic injuries.

Staff entered the cell on December 9, 2021, where Rabat was found sitting on a bed. His victim, Stefan Adi, was lying fatally wounded in a corner of the room. Rabat had used furniture including a locker and a table in an attempt to conceal Mr Adi’s body and covered him in blankets and towels.

The 24-year-old had suffered multiple puncture wounds and lacerations to his throat, as well as significant injuries to his head. Prison officers recovered a chair from the cell, which had been broken, as well as the shattered remains of a ceramic toilet lid.

Both had been used to inflict injuries on Mr Adi, who was confirmed dead at the scene. Rabat was arrested and stated in police interviews he had acted in self-defence, claiming Mr Adi had entered his cell and threatened him with a razor blade.

Rabat was charged with murder and remanded in custody, pending a trial. At Maidstone Crown Court, Rabat, 27, admitted killing Mr Adi but argued a defence of diminished responsibility. A jury found him guilty of murder by unanimous verdict.

Judge Philip Statman told the court on March 12 how Rabat had improvised two weapons in an attack that involved an ‘extreme level of violence’ and which had deprived two young children of their father. Sentencing him to life, he ordered Rabat to serve a minimum of 19 years before he can be considered for parole.

Knifepoint ro

An armed robber who targeted three businesses in Gillingham is starting a prison sentence. At around midday on November 25, 2024, Jack Holland-Batt went to a pharmacy in Canterbury Street and threatened a member of staff with a knife.

He demanded cash and the victim took around £20 from the till then handed it over. Holland-Batt became more aggressive and wanted more money but left the premises after he was told there was no more available.

The robber walked to an amusement arcade in Green Street where he pulled the knife from his waistband and threatened an employee. He wanted money from the safe but when he was told there wasn’t any he walked out.

Holland-Batt repeated his actions at a third business in High Street. A distressed shop worker retreated to a rear room stating she would get the keys for the till but when she returned he had left.

Following the robberies, Holland-Batt contacted Kent Police confessing to his crimes but not specifying where he was. Officers immediately attended an address he frequented and arrested him as he approached the front door. He tried to give a false name and was taken into custody.

Holland-Batt, of no fixed address, was later charged with two robberies, an attempted robbery, and possessing a bladed article in a public place. He pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court and on March 11, the 31-year-old was sentenced to six years in prison.

Woman sentenced to life for Strood murder

A woman has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a man at his home in Medway. Alan Tomkins, 61, lived in a flat in Newark Court, Gun Lane, Strood, with his close associate, Nina Mercer.

During the afternoon of July 23, 2024, Tomkins was at home where he received a food delivery. It is believed that Mercer was in the property at the time and, at around 6pm, she stabbed him multiple times.

Following the incident, Mercer fled and met a man she knew, Lee Robinson. The pair returned to the murder scene where Robinson stole Mr Tomkins’ wallet and bank card. Mercer then travelled to Cuxton Leisure Park in the victim’s car where it is thought she disposed of her bloodstained clothing.

Mercer returned to the victim’s flat on July 25 with another associate. He looked through the kitchen window and asked her if Mr Tomkins could be lying on the hallway floor. Mercer dismissively denied this was the case.

Later that evening, Kent Police were contacted after an acquaintance of the victim raised concerns that he had not been seen at work or at a planned meeting the previous day. Officers attended Mr Tomkins’ home address and forced entry via the locked front door.

They found him laying dead in the hallway with a knife protruding from his back. He had suffered six stab wounds. While officers were at the scene, Mercer walked up to the property and she was arrested.

Mercer, 43, of Gun Lane, Strood was charged with murder on 29 July. She pleaded not guilty at Maidstone Crown Court. Robinson, 45, of Frindsbury Road, Strood, denied a charge of assisting an offender but admitted theft and fraud.

Mercer was convicted of murder on March 14 following a trial. Robinson, was found not guilty of assisting an offender, but was convicted of theft and fraud. On March 18, Mercer was sentenced to a minimum of 17 years before she is eligible for parole. Robinson was jailed for two years and four months.

April

Sex offender from Maidstone jailed

Terry Coleman has been jailed for six years after he used the internet to send explicit images and messages to a user he believed to be a young child. A Kent Police offender management team was alerted on July 17, 2024 to suspicious activity linked to Coleman’s use of social media.

The 60-year-old had been subject to the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) following previous convictions for illegal child images, and began interacting with a Snapchat user purporting to be a teenage girl. For the two weeks that followed, Coleman bombarded the account with sexualised messages and explicit photos and videos of himself.

He encouraged her to engage in inappropriate conversation, and requested she engage in sexual activity and share intimate photos. On August 1, officers attended Coleman’s home address in McKenzie Close, Aylesford and arrested him.

A search led to the seizure of a smart TV, capable of accessing the internet, which Coleman had not registered with Kent Police as required by the SHPO. He was charged the same day with attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and causing a child to look at a sexual image.

He also admitted breaches of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order, failing to comply with notification requirements, and possession of cannabis. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on April 2 to six years’ imprisonment.

Child rapist jailed

Child rapist Alan Vinten repeatedly abused his victim during the 1970s, from when she was just nine years old. The abuse took place over the course of a year and was first reported to Kent Police in November 2021.

Because of when the crimes took place, Vinten was charged under the Sexual Offences Act 1956. These included indecent assaults and unlawful intercourse with a child.

He denied any wrongdoing but following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court was found guilty of all eight charges. The 78-year-old was sentenced on April 7 to 17 years’ imprisonment.

He will have to serve at least two thirds of the sentence before he can apply for parole and will be subject to an additional licence period of a year.

Canterbury woman jailed for life for husband’s murder

A Canterbury woman who murdered her husband and hid his body in their garden has been jailed for life. Jeremy Rickards, who was 65, was found dead behind the property in St Martin’s Road on July 11, 2024.

His wife, Maureen Rickards, 50, was convicted of his murder on March 13 following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court. On April 9, she was jailed for life at the same court and ordered to serve a minimum prison term of 22 years.

Jeremy Rickards was reported missing by a family member on July 5 2024. His wife claimed he had gone to Saudi Arabia to work and died there, but police found no record of him having left the country.

Analysis of his mobile phone showed he had last topped it up on June 8, which was the last record of him having been alive. The missing person enquiries also looked into the use of the victim’s bank card, and found CCTV footage of Mrs Rickards using it in shops between June 20 and 30.

She was arrested for fraud on July 11 and police carried out a search of the property, finding Jeremy Rickards’ body in the garden. He was found to have suffered five stab wounds to his chest, as well as non-fatal injuries sustained around 10 days before his death, and others thought to have been inflicted at least five weeks earlier.

The investigation found that, on May 17, Jeremy Rickards had been seen with bruising to his face in a pub in Canterbury and had told a member of staff he had been in a car accident. He had briefly moved out of their home in early June and had been seen with numerous injuries at the property he stayed in.

Based on the information from the pathologist and the last sighting, detectives believe Maureen Rickards murdered her husband on or around June 9. This was also the date of his death which Maureen Rickards had given in a message to a relative as she attempted to cover up her involvement.

Crime scene investigation work suggested the victim’s body had been stored in a cupboard in the flat before being moved to the garden.

May

Chatham dealer jailed

Ozioma Egbujor secreted a bundle of drugs wrapped in cling film on his body. Following a Kent Police investigation, the 27-year-old has been jailed for five years and eight months.

He admitted to offences related to the supply of class A substances in the Medway towns between February and March 2025. Patrols were alerted to suspicious behaviour on March 3 after attending an address in Magpie Hall Road as part of their duties.

Egbujor, who was found upstairs inside the property, was detained while a search was carried out. Officers seized 40 wraps of heroin and crack cocaine which had been tucked inside Egbujor’s trouser pocket, along with cash and two mobile phones.

An additional strip search led to the recovery of a further 100 wraps, which were concealed on his person. He was charged later that day.

After pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine, Egbujor was sentenced on May 7 at Canterbury Crown Court to five years and eight months in prison.

Drug dealer jailed

Videos recovered from a mobile phone showed a drug manufacturing lab used by a Maidstone dealer to produce tens of thousands of ecstasy pills. The recordings were filmed by Jamie Stacey-Evans and evidenced machinery to grind crystalised MDMA into powder, as well as a device set up to count the finished product in tablet form.

The footage was discovered when police arrested him and he has now been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Officers executed a search warrant at Stacey-Evans’ home in Tree Court, Coxheath, on January 23, as part of an investigation into the supply of drugs across Kent.

The ‘Jay line’ network had been operating since May 2024 and several phones used by Stacey-Evans were seized from the property. This led to the retrieval of multiple videos and voice recordings connecting him to the wholesale supply of cocaine, MDMA, ecstasy, ketamine and cannabis.

He could be heard in voice notes discussing orders to potentially produce as many as 100,000 ecstasy pills. Although an investigation didn’t lead officers to where the lab and machinery were located, Stacey-Evans, 35, was charged with three counts of being concerned in the supply of drugs and with being concerned in the production of drugs.

He was further charged with possessing criminal property, in relation to more than £3,000 cash seized from his home. He pleaded guilty at Canterbury Court and was sentenced on May 20.

Three jailed following burglaries near Sandwich

Three men have been jailed after being tracked down by detectives investigating burglaries in east Kent. Police were called following two similar break-ins in the Sandwich area in September and October 2024.

A Ford Focus was identified as having been used in the first offence, having had its numberplates changed shortly before the burglary. Further enquiries led to detectives identifying Daniel Meehan and Matthew Skinner as two men involved in the second offence.

Skilton was arrested in Brighton in November 2024 and later admitted burglary in relation to one of the offences. Meehan and Skinner were arrested four days later and Meehan admitted two counts of burglary and Skinner one count.

At Canterbury Crown Court on May 21, 2025, Skilton, 27, formerly of Bexhill-on-Sea, was jailed for 17 years. His sentence included a term for the importation of prohibited weapons in a separate case.

Meehan, 32, of Albion Hill, Brighton, received a six and a half year sentence and Skinner, 33, of Rose Walk Close, Newhaven, was jailed for two years and two months.

Gillingham robber jailed

Cameron Joseph was a passenger on a bus travelling through the town centre when he saw two boys walking towards Brompton Road on February 10. He got off, approached the teenagers, and started asking them personal questions.

Joseph offered to buy a Canada Goose jacket one of them was wearing and, as the boys tried to walk away, they noticed he had a knife in his waistband. Joseph then ushered one of them into an alleyway where he became aggressive and stole the victim’s jacket and other items including some AirPods.

The incident was reported and almost a week later, on February 16, Joseph followed another teenage boy in the Brompton area and asked for his bag. When the victim refused, he threatened to stab him and showed a knife in his jacket pocket.

Joseph became more aggressive and the victim, fearing for his safety, handed over his bag before leaving the scene. One of the victims described a distinctive rose tattoo on Joseph’s hand and this enabled detectives to identify him as the offender.

He was tracked down in Gravesend on February 20, and arrested following a foot chase. Joseph was wearing the stolen jacket and bag at the time he was detained.

Joseph, of Balmoral Road, Gillingham, was later charged with two robberies and two counts of possessing a bladed weapon in a public place. He pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court.

On May 23, the 18-year-old was given an extended sentence of seven years and three months, of which four years and three months will be in prison. When he becomes eligible for parole, Joseph will have to serve a further three years on licence.

Dartford dealers jailed

Six north Kent dealers have been jailed following a Kent Police investigation into a Dartford drugs conspiracy worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. More than 3.5kg of cocaine and heroin were seized during the operation, along with several viable firearms and ammunition.

Lacey Lynch was the first arrest in the investigation after she was stopped in her car by officers in Maidstone in September 2023. Cannabis, around 30g of cocaine and £3,000 in cash were seized during searches of the vehicle and her home address.

Joe Stokes – Lynch’s partner – was subsequently detained in November, with officers recovering almost 100g of cocaine from the vehicle he was driving near Maidstone.

Further enquiries connected Stokes and Lynch to a phone line that had been supplying cocaine and cannabis in the Dartford area. Investigators later found Stokes had sold the drugs line to Luke Douglas who was arrested in Greenhithe in July 2024.

Joshua Exall was then identified as having a key role in the criminal network and in the same month a search warrant was executed at his home address where the mobile phones used to supply drugs were seized.

Exall was arrested. Large quantities of class A and class B drugs were also seized from his property – along with three viable handguns, ammunition and cash. Investigators identified and arrested four further people involved in the supply network; Adam Turrell, Ella Francis, Bobby Nash and Charlie Vine.

A warrant was issued for Ben King’s arrest after DNA evidence connected him with the handguns found at Exall’s property. Officers seized three blocks of cocaine, half a block of heroin, cash and two taser devices. King was subsequently tracked down and arrested.

The street value of the drugs seized throughout the investigation was estimated to be around £440,000. All those arrested were charged by detectives. Exall, Douglas, Stokes, Lynch and Turrell later pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply class A drugs.

Exall was also convicted of additional drugs offences along with illegal possession of firearms, ammunition and criminal property (namely the seized cash), following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court. At the same trial, King was convicted of transferring firearms and possession with intent to supply class A drugs. Nash was found guilty of conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

Francis and Vine pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of class A drugs. On May 23, Exall, 28, of Knockhall Road, Greenhithe and King, 60, of Rollesby Way, Thamesmead, London, were jailed for 11 years, and 10 years and six months respectively. Douglas, 36, of Waverley Avenue, Minster-on-Sea was sentenced to six years and 10 months’ imprisonment and Stokes, 33, of Carters Hill Lane, Meopham was jailed for six years and four months.

Francis, 33, of no fixed address, received two years and 10 months in prison and Nash, 34, of Hevitree Road, Plumstead, London was given two years and six months’ imprisonment. Suspended sentences were imposed on Lynch, 23, of Love Lane, Headcorn; Turrell, 31, of Tennyson Road, Dartford and Vine, 22, of Steadman Close, Higham.

June

Drug dealer jailed

London drug dealer Babutunde Ososipe spent eight months dealing cocaine, MDMA, ketamine, Valium, Xanadol, and ecstasy pills in Tonbridge. Between March 29 and November 29, 2024, Ososipe used WhatsApp to target hundreds of substance users with marketing messages.

During interview, the 31-year-old denied his involvement in the county line and alleged friends had lent him the jewellery and designer bag so that he could ‘look good at the gym’ on his birthday. Ososipe, of Scovell Crescent in Bermondsey, London, was later charged with five counts of being concerned in the supply of drugs.

He pleaded guilty to the charges before Maidstone Crown Court and was later sentenced to five years and 10 months’ imprisonment at the same court on June 2.

Swale sex offender jailed

A registered sex offender from the Isle of Sheppey has been jailed for targeting young girls and multiple breaches of a court order. In 2021, Paul Knight pleaded guilty to sexual offences involving children and became subject to strict conditions on his conduct.

A 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) along with sex offender notification requirements (SONR) included restrictions around his interaction with young people, use of the internet and phones, and possession of bank cards. Knight was also required to install monitoring software on his internet-enabled devices.

investigators made an unannounced visit to Knight’s home address on November 10, 2023, and there was a delay before he answered his door. He then handed over his mobile phone for inspection, stating it was his only device. Suspecting Knight had bypassed the monitoring software on this phone, he was arrested.

The officers then searched his property and recovered an iPhone hidden inside a wardrobe. It was locked and Knight said it did not belong to him. They also found he had bank cards he had not declared to the police.

On the following day, Knight, of Queenborough Road, Minster-on-Sea, was charged with five breaches of his SHPO, three breaches of his SONR, and possessing indecent images of a child.

When investigators gained access to his iPhone, they found Knight had been communicating with multiple young girls online for several months. He had been engaging in sexually explicit conversations and had sent indecent photos of himself while asking for illegal ones in return.

His phones also contained a total of 129 indecent images of children including one of the most serious category. Knight was further charged with 13 counts of causing and attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, and three counts of making indecent images of children.

He pleaded guilty to all the indictments at Maidstone Crown Court. On June 9, the 61-year-old received an extended sentence with a total of eight years and three months’ imprisonment. On his release he will be required to complete an additional four years on licence. Knight will also be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Sex offender jailed for abusing teenager

Ryan Perrins was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment after he supplied a vulnerable girl with cannabis and sexually abused her for ‘payment’ in Maidstone. He will be subject to a restraining order for 10 years following his release.

For around seven months, up until October 2023, Perrins carried out a sustained campaign of abuse against his victim. The young girl made attempts to break contact with him on numerous occasions.

This resulted in the offender violently assaulting her – including one occasion when he forced her head into the side of a van – and bombarding her with 59 calls in just 12 hours.

Perrins was arrested on January 31, 2024 and later charged with possession of cannabis, assault, and sex offences. He pleaded guilty to the drugs offence and assault when he appeared before Maidstone Crown Court on December 16, 2024 but denied four counts of sexual activity with a child.

Following a trial, Perrins, 35, of Heathorn Street, was found guilty of all charges and was sentenced at the same court on June 6.

Victim stabbed more than 50 times during assault in Maidstone

A man survived despite being stabbed more than 50 times in what was described as a ‘brutal and ferocious’ assault in Maidstone. Haiden Tomlin has now been jailed after the attack on his neighbour in a town centre block of flats.

Police were called to a disturbance at the Fairmeadow building, just before 3am on September 1, 2024. Tomlin and the victim occupied properties on the same floor and had been involved in an altercation which escalated into a fight inside the flat of another person.

When officers attended, Tomlin had fled. The victim was found slumped in the same room with multiple injuries. He was taken to hospital with 51 separate stab wounds, including a punctured lung and a broken rib.

Further reports were made to police reporting a man leaving the building covered in blood. Searches of the immediate area were carried out and by 4.50am Tomlin was found hiding in an area of undergrowth and arrested.

Officers recovered a discarded lock knife and multi-tool, outside the block of flats. Tomlin was charged with attempted murder and pleaded not guilty at Maidstone Crown Court, arguing he had acted in self-defence.

The case went to trial and he was convicted of an alternative charge of wounding with intent. On June 26, Tomlin, 19, was sentenced to five years and nine months’ imprisonment.

Man sentenced to life for murder

Stephen Castle killed Wayne Woodgate shortly after seeing him in the town centre and forcing him into a van. On October 17 2024, Woodgate was walking on Goods Station Road, when at around 3.30pm he was confronted by Castle, who bore a long-standing grudge against the victim.

He was threatened by Castle and made to enter a Peugeot van driven by another man. The altercation was seen by concerned witnesses who called police and the van was tracked to Castle’s home in Hastings Road, near Matfield.

Castle was initially arrested for kidnap but claimed he had met the victim to exchange drugs, insisting he then let him safely leave the van. Officers located a hire vehicle next to Castle’s address, a Renault Trafic van.

Analysis of automatic number plate recognition cameras showed it had left his home at 4.15pm and travelled towards a remote location, in East Sussex. Extensive CCTV enquiries led officers to Woodgate’s body, which was found on the following day in woodland off the A268 in Peasmarsh.

He had been murdered with a ligature, shortly after meeting Castle who had driven him to his home. Castle was rearrested on October 22, this time on suspicion of murder.

At Maidstone Crown Court, he admitted killing his victim but claimed he had not intended to do so and pleaded guilty to manslaughter. After a trial, a jury found him guilty of murder by unanimous verdict.

Castle, 60, was sentenced at the same court on June 26. He was told by the judge he will have to serve a minimum of 25 years (minus time spent on remand) before he can apply for parole.

Three burglars who threatened to kill a Maidstone family jailed

Masked burglars who threatened to kill a family after smashing into a Maidstone home have been jailed. Paul Crabtree meticulously plotted a burglary committed by Mohamed Mahmoud and Aramis Sullivan, who warned their terrified victims they would be shot as they sought refuge in a bedroom.

Officers were called at 2.02am on September 2, 2024 to a report of masked men breaking into a residential property near Cumberland Avenue. The occupants barricaded themselves in a room upstairs and to the rear of the property as the intruders smashed their way into the house.

After completing an untidy search and locating around £400 cash, the burglars repeatedly banged on the bedroom door and tried to gain access, while threatening to shoot the victims.

Officers arrived on scene as Mahmoud and Sullivan left the property and attempted to flee by car. The offenders were stopped and arrested eight minutes after the initial call to 999, following a short pursuit.

A hammer and three phones were seized from the vehicle. A subsequent examination of phone data revealed a number of messages between the thieves and Crabtree, including videos and annotated screenshots, showing where the men planned to park the car and exit routes.

Crabtree was arrested for his involvement several days later at his home address. Crabtree, 43, of Wyatt Street, Maidstone, and Sullivan, 21, of Gransden Close, Luton Bedfordshire, were charged with conspiracy to burgle, with the former also being charged with possession with intent to supply cocaine and possession of a bladed article.

Crabtree pleaded guilty only to burglary but was convicted of all offences following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court. He was sentenced on June 18, to six years and 11 months’ imprisonment.

Sullivan pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years and six months. Mohamed, 18, of Woburn Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire, pleaded guilty to burglary and was sentenced to two years and two months at a young offenders’ institute.

July

West Malling drug dealer ‘saving for lavish wedding’

A Maidstone drug dealer who claimed he was committing crime to save “for a lavish wedding” is in prison. Kent Police said Aaron Carr, 44, of Ewell Avenue in West Malling, put his wish for the big day “above the impact on vulnerable drug users”.

Carr was stopped and searched at 7.30pm on January 20 in Tonbridge Road, Maidstone, after police recognised his black BMW, suspected of being involved in the supply of class A drugs. Officers seized 3.5 grams of cocaine, around £2,800 in cash and a phone, and arrested Carr.

He told officers 2kg of cocaine was in a wardrobe at his home. This was seized during a subsequent search, alongside another half a kilo of cocaine, nearly £33,000 in cash, two phones, and a laptop.

Detectives also discovered a machete hidden in one of Carr’s other vehicles. Carr was charged the same day with possession with intent to supply cocaine, possession of an offensive weapon, and possession of criminal property.

He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years and four months’ in prison at Maidstone Crown Court on July 2.

Ramsgate dad murdered his baby daughter

A Ramsgate dad was jailed for life with a minimum term of 16 years for killing his baby daughter by shaking her so hard he caused “catastrophic” brain injuries. Thomas Holford, 25, smoked at least five joints the day before he shook his five-week-old daughter Everleigh Stroud with such “excessive and severe” force she was left with brain and bone injuries.

Everleigh had been left alone in her father’s care on the night of April 20, 2021 and was “only just” breathing when her grandmother, Kelly Stroud, called an ambulance the next morning.

While his baby was rushed to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate on April 21, he showed “little emotion” and played games on his phone, jurors heard. On Thursday (July 3), Holford, of Ramsgate, was found unanimously guilty of murder and actual bodily harm of his daughter by a Canterbury Crown Court jury.

On July 4, Holford was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 16 years.

Along with brain injuries, Everleigh also had bone fractures, bruising to her face, atrophy to her eyes leading to her going blind, having spent the night before in her father’s care. Everleigh, who was born on March 13, 2021, spent more than a year in hospital before she died aged 14 months on May 27, 2022.

Seven years behind bars for Canterbury ex-GP

Dr Gregory Manson of Tower Way in Canterbury was convicted of multiple counts of sexual assault and indecent assault.

Manson was investigated after complaints that a GP had been conducting inappropriate examinations on several male patients at Cossington House Surgery in Canterbury. Police enquiries began in 2017.

It changed into many former patients and medical professionals contributing evidence. Victims said when attending their appointments, Manson would conduct unnecessary intimate examinations.

Manson did not record these examinations in patients’ medical records and did not provide an explanation for their supposed necessity Manson was arrested by Kent Police on February 21, 2018 and was released on bail under strict conditions.

He was charged with 24 offences relating to sexual assault and indecent assault in early 2024. At the end of a four-week trial at Canterbury Crown Court, on July 3, Manson was found guilty of 14 counts of sexual assault and four counts of indecent assault. On July 4, he was sentenced to seven years in jail.

Sexual predator from Sittingbourne

A child sex offender from Sittingbourne who repeatedly abused his young victim has been jailed for 13 years. Aaron Stevens was convicted of 15 offences following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court.

Investigators became aware of Stevens’ crimes in May 2018 after it was reported to police that he had boasted of them online. Stevens was arrested at his home on May 27, 2018 and was later charged.

He denied all charges against him but, following a unanimous jury verdict, was found guilty of sexual assault of a child; causing a child to engage in sexual activity; attempting to communicate sexually with a child; possession and distribution of indecent images of a child and indecent exposure.

Stevens, 27, was sentenced on July 8, and will spend an additional four years on licence. He will be subject to notification requirements for the sex offender register for life and was also ordered to comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Drugs supply gang jailed

Three kilograms of cocaine and a handgun were seized after officers swooped on a criminal gang operating across Kent. Nine members of the organised crime group have been sentenced to more than 45 years’ imprisonment.

On January 16, 2024, officers had stopped a Vauxhall Astra in Old Church Road, Burham, with Andrew Hemphill and Shellbie Johnson inside. A search of the car led to discovery of a backpack containing two separate kilogram blocks of cocaine. Another car was stopped nearby.

The Jaguar was driven by Kastriot Dani and officers found an electronically operated hide constructed between the rear seats and boot. Inside was another kilogram of cocaine as well as a bag with the word ‘deposit’ written on it, which contained £10,000 in cash.

There were guilty pleas from seven of the suspects, who on July 2, were sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court as follows:

• Robert Deards, 28, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supplying cocaine and was sentenced to eight years and six months.
• Kastriot Dani, 43, of Cheltenham Close, Rushden, Northamptonshire, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine. He was jailed for four years and 10 months.
• Ryan Gooderson, 23, of Bell Lane, Ditton admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis and received 10 years and three months.
• Malcom Glancey, 66, of Rycault Close, Maidstone admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and was sentenced to seven years and 10 months.
• Jordan Thorossian, 32, of The Laxey, Tovil, Maidstone, admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply. He received a suspended sentence of two years and was ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.
• Gary Greening, 69, of Rochester Road, Burham, pleaded guilty to allowing a premises to be used for the supply of cocaine. He was given a 20-month suspended sentence.
• Phoebe Gamm, 21, of Chart Hill Road, Chart Sutton, Maidstone admitted assisting an offender after she tried to flee the country with Gooderson. Her six-month sentence was also suspended.

A trial was held for a further three defendants, following which Andrew Hemphill, 26, of Upper Grosvenor Road, Tunbridge Wells was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis and to possessing a firearm and ammunition. He was sentenced to 10 years.

Shellbie Johnson, 26, of also of Upper Grosvenor Road, Tunbridge Wells was convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis and jailed for four years and three months. A jury found Julian Gamm, 49, of Knotley Way, West Wickham, not guilty of assisting an offender.

Sex offender jailed for more than a decade

A sex offender whose crimes have been described as “vile and heinous” was jailed after subjecting his victim to more than two years of abuse. A jury unanimously found Benjamin Edgell, 43, guilty after he repeatedly sexually assaulted a vulnerable young child in Tunbridge Wells between 2018 and 2020.

He had been arrested on June 30 2020 and police seized his mobile phones and devices. His phone contained illegal images and a video of the victim.

Edgell, of Longleat Road in Radstock, Somerset, was charged with four counts of sexual assault of a child and three counts of making indecent images of a child. He pleaded not guilty but was convicted after a trial at Maidstone Crown Court.

On July 11, Edgell was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment, of which he must serve at least two thirds before consideration for parole. Upon release, he will serve a four year extended licence and be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Robbers targeted women in Maidstone and Swale

Two violent men robbed women in Maidstone and Sittingbourne. On October 3, 2024, Aaron Charlery and Darren Porter planned to target sex workers who were expected to be alone and at private addresses.

They drove to a location near Broadway in Maidstone and Porter phoned their first victim. When she let him into the property, he pulled out an imitation handgun and ushered Charlery into the premises.

They forcibly stole some rings she was wearing, a mobile phone and £230 in cash. The robbers returned to their car and then drove to London Road, Sittingbourne. They phoned a second victim and, as she opened the door to her address, the men forced their way in.

The woman thought Porter had a gun as he forced her to the ground whilst making threats. The men stole £100 in cash and several bank cards before fleeing the scene.Charlery, of Gatland Lane, Maidstone was charged with the two robberies and pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court. On July 11, the 25 year old was jailed for four years.

Porter, 45, of Wrotham Road, Gravesend, pleaded guilty and was previously sentenced at the same court March 31 to seven years and six months in jail, of which he must serve at least two thirds. When he becomes eligible for parole, Porter will have to complete a further three years on licence.

He was also sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, to be served consecutively, for dangerous driving.

Medway criminal jailed for child sex offences

Abiola Adenmosun, 35, of King George Road in Chatham targeted a child who was walking along a road in Medway. He was driving through Rochester in 2012 and stopped his car alongside the girl he did not know. He befriended her and arranged to see her locally the next day.

Adenmosun gave her alcohol and a cigarette containing cannabis. Over several months Adenmosun continued to meet the child and committed further sexual offences. During this period, he damaged her phone and assaulted one of her relatives.

The victim tried to end any contact with Adenmosun, but he persisted to text and phone her. She reported him to police in 2017.

Adenmosun was charged with six counts of sexual activity with a child. He pleaded not guilty at Maidstone Crown Court and was convicted of all the indictments on February 28 this year.. On July 18, he was sentenced to four years and three months’ imprisonment.

He was given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and has to sign the Sex Offenders Register. He will also be subject to a restraining order for life.

Margate knife attac

Donna Green, 45, of no fixed address, was charged with unlawful wounding and possession of a knife and Leigh Moxam, 33, of no fixed address, was charged with attempted murder. Both were found guilty at trial.

The victim was followed to a cash machine in Margate before being stabbed and stamped on. The man phoned a relative on Friday, December 13 to say that two people were at his house threatening to kill him if he didn’t hand over £400.

He suffered multiple stab wounds and a dislocated shoulder.Later that evening, officers found Leigh Moxam and Donna Green at a property in Grosvenor Place. Both were arrested in connection with the incident and taken into custody.

The court heard Green stabbed the victim multiple times before Moxam then delivered the near fatal stab to his chest. On July 25, at Canterbury Crown Court, Moxam was jailed for 25 years and will serve another three years on licence. Green was jailed for two years.

August

Sittingbourne sex offender

Sex offender Bradley Kite, from Sittingbourne, who groomed young teenage girls and lavished them with gifts has been jailed. The 42-year-old, of Lydbrook Close, pleaded guilty to multiple offences at Maidstone Crown Court.

Kite manipulated a girl to believe he was her boyfriend, sending her sexualised messages as well as giving her money and jewellery. He also took girls shopping and bought them expensive presents before sexually assaulting them.

Kent Police was alerted to Kite’s offending in June 2024 after crimes were disclosed to a victim’s family member. An investigation, which involved specialist detectives from the force, was launched.

Further victims were also identified. Kite was arrested on June 27, 2024 and he was later charged.

He admitted 13 offences including multiple counts of sexual activity with a child and sexual assaults of a child, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. A jury found Kite guilty of a further sexual assault of a child that he denied.

On August 6, Kite was sentenced to 12 years and nine months’ imprisonment. He will serve at least two thirds of his sentence behind bars and will spend a further five years on licence after his release.

Kite was also made the subject of a 25-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Swale couple jailed after rape

A woman who was sexually abused by a rapist while his partner filmed her ordeal in Sheerness has seen the pair jailed. On September 18, 2020, Indre Bruziene and her partner Vasile Radacanu invited the victim to their address, where they consumed some alcoholic drinks.

The victim became intoxicated and Radacanu took the opportunity to rape her whilst she was unable to consent and was at one point unconscious. While this took place Bruziene filmed the abuse through a window and then from inside the house.

Police said it was apparent Radacanu was aware his actions were being filmed as he gestured to the camera several times. The victim awoke on the following morning in her own bed at home with no memory of what had happened to her.

On March 15, 2021, she received a call from Bruziene who accused the woman of breaking up her family. Bruziene also sent footage of the rape incident and demanded £5,000 or it would be sent to the victim’s husband.

The distressed victim refused to pay the money and informed her family before contacting the police. Radacanu, who is Romanian, and Bruziene, from Lithuania, were both arrested the following day.

Investigators seized their mobile phones and, following an investigation, Radacanu was charged with two rapes, attempted rape and two sexual assaults. Bruziene was charged with blackmail.

The pair pleaded not guilty at Maidstone Crown Court and, following a trial, were convicted of the indictments on January 28, 2025. On August 14, Radacanu, 33, of Charlotte Street, Sittingbourne, was sentenced to 12 years and six months’ imprisonment.

Bruziene, 40, of Alma Road, Sheerness, was jailed for three years and three months.

Sex offender who groomed child jailed

Ako Hawla groomed a child from west Kent and then raped her in his flat. He fled the country to try and avoid justice but was tracked down in France and returned under a European Arrest Warrant.

Officers were initially alerted to concerns for the victim’s welfare, after she was reported missing. Hawla had previously groomed the child through various social media platforms and apps and had persuaded her to meet him.

He was 19 at the time but when the victim told him she was only 13 he claimed he was also a juvenile. They travelled to his address in Erith, where the victim was repeatedly abused.

Patrols searching for the missing child tracked her to the flat and when Hawla realised police were at his home he instructed the victim to pretend she simply sleeping on his couch. He told her to tell officers she was 17.

Hawla was arrested and later bailed, as investigating officers sought to build a successful case. He then fled the country but in April 2024 was tracked down in France and extradited to the UK.

A trial then took place at Woolwich Crown Court where Hawla, now aged 26, was found guilty of rape, as well as a further five sexual offences. He was also convicted of child abduction.

On August 14, Hawla was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment. He will have to serve at least two thirds of the sentence before he can be considered for parole.

He was also made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

September

Bluewater burglar targeted high value watches

Burglar David Buisson stole high value watches worth more than £1million from a Bluewater retailer. He travelled to the shopping centre on February 7 in a Mercedes GLA displaying cloned number plates and driven by a criminal associate.

They stopped in one of the adjacent car parks and Buisson got out wearing a facemask and a high visibility tabard. He gained access to a service area and then the roof where he climbed into the business he was targeting using a telescopic ladder.

Buisson then went to a secure area where he overcame several security measures. He stole more than 150 watches from a safe before returning to the car park.

Detectives were able to prove that the same Mercedes had travelled to Bluewater more than 10 times, sometimes using other false number plates, between January 13 and February 7.

On each journey it had stopped in Harlow, where Buisson lived. Examination of multiple CCTV cameras at locations on the route to Bluewater showed he had been present in the vehicle.

Buisson, of Malkin Drive, Harlow was tracked down in Penrith, Cumbria and arrested on February 12. A search of his home address and vehicles located a video camera with a memory card. This had five videos that showed footage of the burgled business prior to the offence being committed.

His partner in crime was arrested on the same day at Waltham Abbey, Essex. Three of the stolen watches were recovered from the car he was driving.

Buisson was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and was remanded to prison. His associate was also charged with the same offence but died whilst on remand.

On July 16, Buisson, 56, pleaded guilty to the indictment. On September 11, he was sentenced to six years and one month in prison.

Offender jailed after sexually assaulting children in Medway

Qari Sher Mohammad targeted a total of four children over almost a decade until his victims raised the alarm. Concerns about his behaviour were first raised in 2018, when one of the children revealed he had touched her sexually, while carrying out duties connected to his role as an imam.

This happened at a mosque in Thorold Road, between March 2014 and October 2016. He was arrested and interviewed in April that year, but the investigation did not progress to a charge at that stage due to concerns about the potential impact a trial would have on the young victim.

Between May 2022 and December 2023, Mohammad sexually assaulted three further children and he was arrested on 11 December.

As part of their enquiries, investigating officers returned to the victim who had made the previous allegation in 2018. Now an adult, she stated she wished to support a police prosecution for the crimes committed against her.

Mohammad, of Woodford Road, Forest Gate, London was charged with multiple counts of sexual touching of a child. He denied the offences and, on March 7, was convicted at Canterbury Crown Court on 16 indictments.

On September 12, Mohammad, 61, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. He will be the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years once he is released.

Key Margate county lines dealer jailed

Officers arrested Joel Loba at a property in Westbrook Road in Margate on June 25 on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of drugs and seized three phones, £1,360 cash and class A substances hidden on his person.

Investigations had previously identified three phone numbers which sent out bulk marketing messages to known class A drug users in the Margate area. All three of these numbers were proven to be linked to Loba, including one of those phones being seized during the house search.

The 27 year old, from Westbrook Road, was charged with being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, namely crack cocaine and heroin, possession with intent to supply a controlled drug and possession of criminal property.

Loba pleaded guilty to all five charges during a court hearing at Canterbury Crown Court on August 14. He was sentenced at the same court on September 11 to five years and seven months.

Medway rapist jailed

Medway rapist George Payne-Woodham, formerly of Grange Road, Gillingham, was found guilty of multiple offences following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court.

It was reported to Kent Police on September 26, 2024 that a child had told a member of school staff that they had been subjected to sexual abuse over several years.

Specialist detectives from the force launched an investigation and Payne-Woodham was arrested later that day. On September 28, 2024, he was charged.

The offender, who pleaded not guilty, was convicted on all counts by a jury of child rape, inciting a child into sexual activity and sexual assault of a child.

On September 12 Payne-Woodham, 21, was sentenced to 16 years in prison and will have to serve at least two thirds of the custodial period before he is eligible for parole. Under the terms of an extended sentence, he will spend a further four years on licence when he is released.

He will also be subject to sex offender notification requirements indefinitely and restrictions imposed by a 25 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Dover paedophile jailed

Predatory sex offender Jonah Albanese was arrested on Tuesday March 18 at his home in Snargate Street, Dover after breaching a previously imposed Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). As part of a previous sexual offence conviction in 2024, monitoring software had been installed on his devices and had alerted police of a potential breach.

A search was conducted of the property, uncovering two mobile phones owned by the 30 year old. One of these contained indecent videos of children and showed a conversation with a man in which Albanese attempted to arrange sex with two children.

At a Canterbury Crown Court hearing on April 22, he admitted to nine charges including breaching his SHPO, failing to meet sex offender notification requirements, possessing indecent images of children and attempting to arrange the sexual assault of a child.

He was sentenced to six years in prison with an additional four years on licence at his sentencing at Canterbury Crown Court on September 18.

Prisoner jailed for kidnap and attempted robbery

Jamie Herbert absconded from HMP Standford Hill on the Isle of Sheppey and forced a woman to drive him to Maidstone to withdraw money at knifepoint. Emergency call handlers received a report of a man threatening someone with a bladed weapon at around 9.25am on January 28, 2024.

Herbert had accosted the victim in the prison car park and threatened her with a piece of cutlery. He made her drive to Willington Street and threatened to stab her if she did not withdraw money from the Post Office.

The woman managed to slip away from Herbert and locked herself in her vehicle for safety. The offender attempted to get back into the car and failed.

He fled in the direction of Sutton Road, where he threatened a man in the Morrison’s car park before leaving. Herbert was arrested a short time later in nearby Lansdowne Avenue, and officers seized the knife from his possession.

The 56 year old was subsequently charged with escaping lawful custody, kidnap, possession of a bladed weapon in public, and attempted robbery.

Herbert, formally of Dover, pleaded guilty to all offences and was sentenced to 10 years and nine months’ imprisonment at Maidstone Crown Court on September 17.

He must serve at least two thirds of his sentence before he will be considered for parole, and will be subject to a five year extended licence upon his release.

Jail for burglars who targeted Sheerness properties

David Hansen and Ryan Kiely broke into residential properties in Sheerness. They pleaded guilty to multiple offences at Maidstone Crown Court.

Kent Police was alerted to an incident in Southsea Avenue, Minster on Sea, on February 20, whereby residents returned to their address to find it unsecured. Hansen had broken in and stolen jewellery, documents and car keys – as well as a van that was parked outside.

On February 27, a similar report was received in relation to a dwelling in Fleetwood Close. While the victims were not at home, a window was broken and Hansen together with Kiely entered to steal personal items including jewellery and watches, as well as cash.

One week later, a further property in the area was targeted. After breaking in and finding an occupant inside the property, the burglars stole designer handbags and a mobile phone after threats were made to a victim.

Kiely and Hansen were arrested on April 24 and both were charged the following day.

After pleading guilty to multiple counts of burglary, and admitting going equipped to burgle, the offenders were jailed on September 22. Hansen, who also admitted to theft and false imprisonment, was sentenced to four years and nine months’ imprisonment.

Kiely was given a custodial term of three years and nine months.

Canterbury man stabbed friend four times

A man who suffered multiple head injuries and stab wounds to his arm and leg during a dispute over money is ‘lucky to be alive’, according to police. The victim was attacked by Liam Jones, 28, while they were at a house party in Cornwall Gardens, Canterbury.

They had both been socialising with friends at the property during the evening of May 29 this year, when Jones demanded the victim hand over money he was owed. The victim explained he could not give him the money at that time.

Jones then picked up two knives and stabbed the victim four times before also punching him in the head multiple times. He refused to let the victim leave but after a while the victim managed to get out and made his way to a nearby shop where ambulance crews were called.

He was taken to hospital to be treated for multiple head injuries and stab wounds to his arm and leg. Officers immediately attended the address, and Jones was arrested and later charged with grievous bodily harm with intent.

Jones, from Cornwall Gardens, pleaded guilty and on September 19 at Canterbury Crown Court was jailed for five years. He will also serve another three years on licence.

Deal child rapist jailed

Steven Biggs, of Owen Square, Deal, was found guilty of multiple offences following a three day trial at Canterbury Crown Court.

In the early hours of August 4 2020, Biggs encountered two girls, aged 13 and 14 outside of a residential property on Freemans Way, Deal. The victims had approached him in the front garden and asked him for a cigarette.

Upon inviting them into the house, Biggs coerced one of the girls into a bedroom and raped her. When the victim attempted to leave with her friend, who had been waiting outside the property, Biggs forcibly brought both girls back inside, where he carried out further rapes.

It was reported to Kent Police on September 3,2020 that two teenage girls had been subject to a violent rape, after one of the victims disclosed the assault to a family member.

Following the report, detectives launched an investigation into the allegations, which led to Biggs being arrested on November 29, 2020. He was later charged with 10 sexual offences, including three counts of rape.

During his three day trial at Canterbury Crown Court, Biggs refused to take the stand and declined to give evidence. The jury returned a unanimous verdict on September 24, and he was found guilty.

He was sentenced to 18 years in prison and will also be subject to sex offender notification requirements indefinitely and restrictions imposed by a 25 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Tunbridge Wells riding instructor jailed for child sex offences

A horse-riding instructor has been jailed and made the subject of a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order for offences against children. Mitchell Hickey sexually abused two young victims, hitting one with a whip, and coerced a third into sending explicit photos.

Hickey, who carried out a string of targeted assaults between 2017 and 2019, also bombarded the girls with indecent videos via Snapchat, a platform known for automatically deleting messages once read.

Officers were alerted to the offending in January 2022 when an ex-member of the riding school, based in the Tunbridge Wells area, became concerned for other vulnerable girls under Hickey’s care.

The riding instructor was arrested and, following a thorough investigation which included a review of his devices, he was charged with nine sex offences including sexual assault, sexual activity with a child, and sexual communication with a child.

The 25 year old initially denied the charges, but later pleaded guilty to seven offences at Maidstone Crown Court.

Hickey was sentenced to three years and four months’ imprisonment at the same court on September 22.

October

Child rapist injected victim with drugs

An ‘extremely dangerous’ East Malling sex offender who injected a child with drugs as part of a campaign of horrific abuse that included multiple rapes has been jailed. Lee Balchin, 55, forced his young victim to consume cannabis, suspected ecstasy tablets and alcohol.

Balchin repeatedly preyed on the child. He carried out the abuse in several locations, which included ‘hideouts’ in remote places.

The offences were initially reported to Kent Police in 2018 and Balchin was arrested. An investigation revealed he regularly plied the child with drugs, which included injecting her with amphetamine.

The substances and alcohol would sometime render his helpless victim almost unconscious. Balchin, of Carnation Close, East Malling, was charged with multiple offences but denied any wrongdoing.

A lengthy court process led to a trial in August 2025 when he was found guilty of two charges of rape and two further counts of indecent assault. Balchin was sentenced on October 13 at Maidstone Crown Court to 15 years’ imprisonment.

He will have to serve at least two thirds of the sentence before he can be considered for parole.

Violent offender jailed following party attacks

Shane Doyle assaulted three people and attacked police officers at a party celebrating his release from prison. He has now been jailed for more than five years.

The 44-year-old had only recently been released from custody when he attended a gathering at a house in Lunedale Road, Dartford, on February 8. The evening turned violent when Doyle assaulted two women and a man and later kicked and spat at officers responding to the incident.

Kent Police was called to the property at around 8.30pm, where they found one of the female victims at the bottom of the stairs. She had been grabbed by the throat, pushed down the stairs, kicked, and punched during the attack.

Doyle also shouted at officers, while spitting and kicking during his arrest and transport to custody. The woman suffered cuts to her face and arm, a fractured hand, and a dislocated knee.

Another woman sustained internal bruising after being punched and was further assaulted while trying to shield the first victim and call police. Earlier in the evening, Doyle had punched a male guest in the chest during an altercation, prompting the man to leave.

He then attacked the second woman, repeatedly punching her in the head and chest and snatching her phone as she tried to call for help. As the women attempted to flee, Doyle threatened to kill them.

He eventually left the property, allowing the victims to lock themselves inside and contact police. Doyle, of no fixed address, was arrested at the scene and continued to behave aggressively, assaulting two officers and spitting inside the police vehicle.

Officers also found a knife in his pocket when he was searched. He was later charged with grievous bodily harm, two counts of assault by beating, possession of a bladed article, possession of an offensive weapon and two counts of assault on an emergency worker.

Doyle denied the assaults but was convicted following a trial. He was sentenced to five years and 11 months in prison on October 3, at Maidstone Crown Court.

A restraining order was also issued to protect the three victims.

Swanley armed robber jailed

Karl Kaynar entered Domino’s Pizza on Swanley High Street at around 9.40pm on March 13, 2024, with what appeared to be a firearm. He demanded staff hand over money and after climbing a counter, pulled open a cash drawer and stole around £400.

During the ordeal, Kaynar shouted threats to shoot and kill people, warning ‘do you want to die?’ The following day, Kaynar’s next target was only a short distance away, at an Asda petrol station in London Road.

He entered the premises at around 6.30am and threatened employees with a knife and a broken paving slab. During this robbery, Kaynar warned he would throw acid into the face of a victim before fleeing on foot with thousands of pounds in stolen cash.

Kaynar was tracked down and arrested later the same day. Searches close to the crime scenes led to the recovery of the handgun he had used, which was identified as being an air weapon.

A bag he carried during the Asda robbery was seized from an address linked to him in Swanley. A knife was also found on a bed.

Kaynar, 42, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to two counts of robbery, possession of an imitation firearm and possession of a knife in a public place. He also admitted additional theft and drug offences, as well as a further armed robbery, on March 22, which was investigated by the Metropolitan Police and determined by the court as the most serious offence.

On October 15, 2025, Kaynar was sentenced to a total of nine years and four months’ imprisonment (already having spent 18 months on remand). He will also have to serve a further 86 days after breaching a suspended sentence and on his release from prison will be subject to an additional licence period of four years.

‘Depraved’ sex offender

A ‘depraved’ sex offender who subjected a child to many years of abuse has been jailed for 19 years. Stephen Rilley, of Hastings Avenue in Margate, was found guilty of multiple offences after a Kent Police investigation was launched in January, prompted by the victim coming forward and making a report.

Investigating officers learned that Rilley had used threats of violence to silence and maintain control over his victim. Rilley pleaded guilty to 11 charges including multiple counts of rape in August.

On October 16, the 63-year-old was sentenced to 19 years in prison and will serve an additional three years on licence under the terms of an extended sentence. He will also remain on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.

Man jailed after causing cyclist’s death

Danny Gibson, 38, was sentenced after admitting to causing a fatal collision on The Street, Wormshill, on October 18, 2022. Gibson had spent the afternoon drinking in Sheerness before taking his mother’s car without permission.

He then drove through Wormshill and surrounding areas before he collided with the victim, who was cycling near his home. Gibson abandoned the vehicle in a nearby field and left the scene on foot.

A witness reported that at about 5pm she heard a loud bang shortly after seeing the cyclist pass by, and later saw the car in a field. Gibson was seen leaving the area but failed to report the incident or seek help for the victim.

Officers attended his address later that evening following a report about a domestic incident but at no point did Gibson report the collision. The victim was discovered later that evening by a friend who had gone searching for him when he failed to return home.

He was pronounced deceased at the scene by paramedics at 8.45pm. Gibson, from Oast Court, Sittingbourne, was arrested and later identified by the witness through an ID procedure.

He was also forensically linked to the vehicle after a piece of the broken glass was found in his hair. He was charged with multiple offences including causing death by careless driving while over the drug-drive limit, driving while unlicensed and uninsured.

He initially denied the offences, claiming it couldn’t have been him because he doesn’t have a licence. But Gibson later admitted to the offences at a hearing in April 2025.

A charge of aggravated vehicle taking was ordered to lie on file. At Maidstone Crown Court on October 17, Gibson was jailed for 12 years and six months.

He has also been banned from driving for 20 years and will be required to pass an extended re-test.

Men jailed for almost 17 years after violent robbery

A man in his 50s was visiting associates at an address in Luton when, shortly after midnight, he briefly left the premises on February 20, 2024. When he returned, he met two men who had not been there earlier and who demanded he handed over his cash.

Fearing he would be harmed the victim gave them around £100 and his mobile phone. The men demanded more cash and when he said he did not have any more, he was stabbed multiple times.

The robbers fled the scene and the victim was taken to hospital for treatment. A complex investigation into the incident included the examination of CCTV in the area.

Detectives were able to prove that those involved in the incident were Aakeem Kelliot, who had wielded the knife, and Max Alexander. Investigators promptly tracked down and arrested Kelliot and Alexander on February 22.

The two men, both of no fixed address, were charged and remanded. Kelliot pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to wounding with intent.

Alexander was found guilty of robbery at the same trial. On October 14, Kelliot, 34, was sentenced to 10 years and four months.

Alexander, 41, was jailed for six years and six months.

Four people who stabbed teenager in Rochester sentenced

Four individuals who stabbed a teenager in Rochester have been sentenced following a police investigation. Abdul Kieta, Orion Parks, Raheem Ruhambira, and a 17-year-old boy – who cannot be named for legal reasons – went to the victim’s home on December 10 last year, in John Street, and attacked him with a knife.

The 16-year-old victim had been at home when he decided to leave through the back gate to collect a takeaway on his bike. As he exited, he saw Kieta attempting to climb the garden fence.

He tried to flee but was chased by the group and stabbed multiple times. One of the attackers dropped a knife at the scene.

The victim managed to reach a nearby off-licence, where emergency services were called. He was taken to a London hospital and discharged three days later.

Following CCTV enquiries, officers were able to identify the suspects seen entering the property and then running away. Kieta, 18, was arrested at his home address in Atlee Drive, Dartford, on December 11.

Trainers and a coat matching those seen on CCTV were seized. Further enquiries led officers to arrest Ruhambira, 19, on December 17 at a property in Cooper Road, Dartford.

Following a search of the property a coat with a slash mark on was seized. On the same day, a 17-year-old was arrested at a property in London.

A knife was found inside the address which had the victim’s blood on it. Parks, 20, was arrested at his home in Overy Street, Dartford, on the same day where officers found a machete in a drawer.

All four were later charged and, following a trial, were sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court last Friday (October 17). Kieta was given an 18-month rehabilitation order after being found guilty of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and wounding without intent.

Ruhambria was jailed for five years and given an extended licence period of three years after being found guilty of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and wounding with intent. The 17-year-old was found guilty of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and wounding with intent, and given an 18-month youth rehabilitation order.

Parks was found guilty of wounding without intent and jailed for two years and three months in a Young Offenders’ Institute.

Man jailed for drugs and weapons offences

Nearly five kilograms of cocaine, £30,000 in cash and an arsenal of weapons were found in a safe hidden beneath the floor of a home near Sevenoaks. Jay Harris used multiple associates to flee to Devon when police raided his house last year and has since been sentenced to 10 years and three months’ imprisonment for drugs and weapons offences.

Officers attended Harris’ home in Harrow Road, near Knockholt, on December 7. Harris fled through the back garden.

Teams were deployed to pursue him while officers carried out a search warrant at the property. Officers found the safe in a hide, which had been cut into floorboards in the bedroom, with a flap cut into the carpet to permit access.

They recovered just under five kilograms of cocaine, over £30,000 in cash, a firearm, six rounds of ammunition, air weapons, knives, a knuckleduster, a mobile phone and comprehensive ‘stock taking’ notes. Detectives carried out extensive enquiries, assisted by colleagues from Devon and Cornwall Police, and located the drug dealer just 36 hours later at a petrol station.

He had a holdall on him, containing £2,000 in cash, clothes, toiletries, mobile devices, SIM cards and chargers, indicating he had intended on staying away from his place of residence for some time. He was arrested and taken back to Kent and subsequently charged with drugs and weapons offences.

The 29-year-old initially denied his involvement but later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine, possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition for a firearm without a certificate and possession of criminal property, namely cash. He was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Tuesday (October 21).

Eight people sentenced following tax fraud

A total of eight people who pocketed millions of pounds in unpaid taxes have been sentenced. The criminal group created several fake labour supply companies to keep VAT payments that should have gone to HMRC.

They also kept tax deductions from subcontractors that were meant to be paid under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) with an estimated loss of £22 million. Robert Hayward, 56, from Witham in Essex, was the director of multiple scaffolding and construction firms.

He allowed his company’s payroll to be run through these fake companies. The group paid the subcontractors but kept the VAT and CIS taxes owed to HMRC.

Hayward is believed to have received around £2.8m as his share of the criminal profits. Danny Kaufman, 54, from Botsom Lane, West Kingsdown, was the contracts manager at one of Hayward’s companies and introduced the fake payroll/labour supply companies, in return receiving cash bonuses amounting to £400,000.

Similarly, Gary Peck, 44, from Maidstone Road, Chatham, was the director of scaffolding and roofing companies that allowed his company’s payroll to be channelled through fake payroll and labour supply companies. He received about £338,000 as his share of the criminal profits.

And Stuart Peck, 42, from Pilgrims Road, Rochester, allowed the same with his painting and decorating companies, pocketing £128,000. Following a trial at Southwark Crown Court, they were all found guilty of cheating the public revenue.

William Chadwick, 27, from East Street, Hunton in Maidstone, was arrested and found to be part of the OCG when he was found in possession of £40,000 in packages and envelopes destined for delivery to complicit company directors. He was found guilty of transferring criminal property.

Louise Roman, 58, from Plains Road, Maldon in Essex, was an account manager for Hayward and had full knowledge of the scam. The OCG passed the cash destined for Robert Hayward through her and for this she received her own cash payments from the criminal profits.

She pleaded guilty to cheating the public revenue and transferring criminal property. Sam Montague, 41, from Wennington, Cambridgeshire, pleaded guilty to transferring criminal property after being arrested delivering cash to complicit company directors.

Mark Jennings, 44, from Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty to cheating the public revenue and acquiring criminal property. He was the director of a plumbing company and allowed his company’s payroll to be channelled through fake payroll and labour supply companies.

He received over £100,000 as his share of the criminal profits. The complex investigation by Kent Police and HMRC had already resulted in seven members being jailed for more than 33 years.

During hearings held on October 8 and 9, 2024 at Southwark Crown Court:

• Robert Hayward was jailed for six and a half years and was disqualified from being a company director for 10 years.
• Danny Kaufman was jailed for five years and disqualified from being a company director for 10 years.
• Gary Peck was jailed for four years and disqualified from being a company director for six years.
• Stuart Peck was jailed for two and a half years and disqualified from being a company for six years.

On October 24 this year at the same court:

• William Chadwick was sentenced to 18 months suspended for 24 months.
• Louise Roman was sentenced to 24 months suspended for 24 months.
• Sam Montague was jailed for 30 months and disqualified from being a company director for six years.
• Mark Jennings was sentenced to 24 months suspended for 24 months and disqualified from being a company director for six years.

Maidstone burglar jailed

A burglar who pulled out a machete before threatening a family and causing serious injuries to a man’s hand has been jailed. Lenard Coates posed as a delivery driver to gain access to the property in Maidstone before attacking the victim in front of his partner and child and stealing £2,500 and a watch.

The incident happened at around 9am on March 21 when Coates entered a block of flats in Square Hill Road wearing a high-vis jacket and carrying a parcel as a prop. Coates launched an unprovoked attack on a man and took a watch from a woman before locating and leaving with the family’s savings.

Kent Police officers attended the scene alongside South East Coast Ambulance Service where the victim was left with serious injuries to his hand that required specialist reconstructive surgery. An investigation was launched and Coates’ van was located within two hours of the burglary.

Subsequent forensic enquiries, and a review of CCTV, led to his arrest. He was then charged.

The 23-year-old, of no fixed address, initially declined to enter a plea but later pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, causing grievous bodily harm, and possession of a knife in a public place. He was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment at Maidstone Crown Court on October 29.

He will serve an extended licence period of two years upon his release and has been made the subject of a restraining order for 15 years.

Six jailed following burglary crime series across Kent

More than £300,000 of property including multiple vehicles and golf equipment was stolen in a month-long countywide crime spree. During the spate of offences between March 20 and April 15, 2024, nine high end cars, two quad bikes and a tipper truck were taken, as well as jewellery, cash, a purse, numerous registration plates and sets of car keys.

Paul Bristow, William Adams, Rhys Smith, Jamie Knight, John Adams, and Paul Cash have since been sentenced to a combined total of 36 years and seven months’ imprisonment. The gang attempted several other burglaries in Herne Bay, Wateringbury, Brenchley, Borden and Whitstable but were disturbed by the homeowners, causing them to flee.

During a burglary from a home in New Romney, they assaulted the victim with a pool cue and broke his shoulder, before making off with a Mercedes C43. They later attempted a ‘car-jacking’ in Goudhurst during which they forced a driver to stop before approaching him with weapons.

Furthermore, during a failed break-in near Lamberhurst, the victim tried to stop the offenders leaving by blocking them in with a car. They resorted to smashing the victim’s windscreen and driver’s side window, injuring him in the process.

On April 15, proactive patrols in Walderslade stopped two vehicles, one of which was travelling on a false registration plate, and five men were arrested. Subsequent searches led to the seizure of a drill, a screwdriver, crowbars, balaclavas, a car registration plate and car keys.

A sixth male was arrested on 21 May. All suspects were later charged with conspiracy to steal, conspiracy to burgle, attempted robbery, robbery, and criminal damage.

During a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on Friday 24 October:

• Bristow, 34, of Chilmington Green in Ashford, was sentenced to nine years and two months’ imprisonment;
• William Adams, 26, of Elm Grove in Sittingbourne, was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment;
• Smith, 31, of Meehan Road in Greatstone, was sentenced to seven years and five months’ imprisonment;
• Knight, 24 of South Park Road in Maidstone, and John Adams, 32 of Common Road in Sissinghurst, were sentenced to four years’ imprisonment;
• Cash, 21, of Pye Corner in Ulcombe, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.

Drug dealer jailed after DNA match

A drug dealer whose DNA was located on a grip seal bag containing cocaine near Ashford has been jailed. James Thorp was forensically linked to the bag after officers stopped a car on the M20 on January 21, 2019.The open grip seal bag contained 481 grams of partially compressed cocaine in block portions which had a potential street value of up to £40,000. His DNA was able to place Thorp with the bag and on April 25, 2019 he was arrested in Enfield, London, and later charged.

After Thorp’s arrest, officers found a handwritten note containing a telephone number which was used to contact a co-defendant and oversee a drug supply network involving 1.5kg of cocaine. Following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court, Thorp, 58, of Springfields, Waltham Abbey, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Thorp was sentenced to six years and six months’ imprisonment on October 23, 2025. This sentence also related to a separate indictment for possession of criminal property and possession of cocaine.

Thorp had been stopped by police in August 2018 and a search of his vehicle had resulted in the seizure of £48,000 in a shoebox and an encrypted mobile phone.

November

Violent rapist jailed

Violent abuser Billy Cass from Rainham has been jailed for 15 years after subjecting his victim to a series of attacks. The-34-year-old, of Rainham High Street, raped his victim multiple times including while she slept.

He also sent threatening messages to her and assaulted her. A Southwark Crown Court jury found Cass guilty of four counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of actual bodily harm.

He had previously admitted a charge of harassment with fear of violence. Being sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on November 5, Cass was jailed for 15 years and will be added to the sex offenders’ register for life.

He will also be subject to an indefinite restraining order against his victim.

Multiple child sex offenders jailed

A total of eight men have been jailed for a combined total of 100 years. The prison sentences followed investigations by specialist officers to protect children and young people from abuse.

Between September 12 and October 17, officers ensured justice was served to eight separate sexual predators who had been operating in areas such as Gravesend, Gillingham, Swanley, and Margate.

Roy Humphreys, of Broadway in Gillingham, was found guilty of abusing two boys in the 1970s and another in the 2000s. The 82-year-old was found guilty at Maidstone Crown Court and on October 15 was sentenced to 22 years’ imprisonment.

Stephen Rilley, of Hastings Avenue in Margate, was found guilty of using threats of violence to silence and maintain control over a victim for nearly two decades. On October 16, the 63-year-old was sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment and will serve an additional three years on licence under the terms of an extended sentence.

Glenn Swanson, formerly of Gravesend, was already serving a jail term for child sex offences when another victim came forward. On September 22, the 63-year-old was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment at Maidstone Crown Court.

He will serve this in addition to his current custodial term. George Payne-Woodham, formerly of Grange Road in Gillingham, subjected a child to sexual abuse over several years.

The 21-year-old was convicted after a trial and sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment at Maidstone Crown Court on September 12. He will serve an additional four years on licence under the terms of an extended sentence.

Lee Balchin, of Carnation Close in East Malling, was found guilty of regularly plying a child with alcohol and drugs to render them nearly unconscious before raping them. The 55-year-old was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to 15 years’ imprisonment on October 13.

Lucifer Hunter, of The Stade in Folkestone, was found guilty of pretending to be a 16-year-old boy to groom four young victims on social media. The 24-year-old was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment at Canterbury Crown Court on October 17 and has been made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 15 years.

Kevin Scarnell, of Fellows Road in Camden, used dating and social media apps to bombard who he believed to be a teenage boy daily with sexually explicit messages and arranged to meet him for sex. He was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on October 16 to two years and eight months’ imprisonment.

Andrew Cullis, of Lynden Way in Swanley, was found to be in possession of a USB containing explicit images of children during a routine sex offender management check in February 2025. The 43-year-old was sentenced to two years and four months’ imprisonment at Maidstone Crown Court on October 17.

Rapist jailed following encounter in East Malling pub

A woman was raped following a night out in a pub in East Malling. Rapist Steven Moore ‘exploited and abused’ his victim after they left the former Rising Sun pub in Mill Street.

The 67-year-old man, who has been jailed, took her to a nearby residential property before raping her. The incident happened in 2017 and was reported to Kent Police in March 2023, when Moore was arrested.

An investigation established that prior to the rape, the woman had chatted with Moore who was acquainted with someone she knew. During an evening between November and December 2017, the victim encountered him at the pub.

They consumed several drinks and she became intoxicated and confused. The victim recalled that after accompanying Moore to a different property she blacked out and woke up to find him raping her.

Moore, of Stickens Lane, East Malling, was charged with rape and pleaded not guilty. A trial was held at Maidstone Crown Court and a jury convicted him by unanimous verdict.

Moore was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment on November 7

Jail for arsonist

Michael Harragan set fire to seven vehicles in the Folkestone area in one night. The 55-year-old – whose targets included a campervan where an occupant slept – admitted to the offences before Canterbury Crown Court.

Kent Police responded to multiple reports of cars being found alight in the early hours of April 11. Harragan had travelled around the area and torched vehicles in Canterbury Road, Walton Road and Military Road, as well as Whitenbrook in Hythe.

Officers attended along with Kent Fire and Rescue Service, and the fires, which had caused extensive damage to the cars, were extinguished. Harragan was arrested shortly afterwards in London Road, Hythe.

He was charged with six counts of arson the following day. It was later established he had also set alight a campervan on April 11, parked in Castle Road, Sandgate.

The owner, asleep inside, awoke to smoke and managed to put out the fire before leaving the area in the vehicle. Harragan, of Gladstone Road, Folkestone, was further arrested and charged with reckless arson endangering life.

He pleaded guilty and was sentenced on November 14 to five years and three months’ imprisonment. He will spend a further year and nine months on licence at the conclusion of the custodial term.

Welsh man jailed after driving to north Kent to meet child

A Welsh man has been jailed for six years after travelling to the county to have sex with a child. Timothy Boorman, 60, had been speaking to the victim online before travelling to meet them in north Kent on August 13.

On arrival, he was immediately arrested and taken into custody. Boorman, of Ffordd Taliesin, Killay near Swansea, was subsequently charged with offences including arranging the commission of the rape of a child.

He pleaded guilty at his first appearance at Maidstone Crown Court. On November 14, he appeared again at the same court where he was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment.

An indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order has also been imposed.

Jail sentences following violent Canterbury attack

Two men have been jailed for a combined total of 48 years for carrying out a violent attack with an axe near Canterbury. Kent Police was alerted to reports of a serious assault that had taken place involving occupants from two cars on the A2 near to the junction for Wincheap on December 14, 2024.

On arrival, officers discovered two men in their 20s and 30s with serious head injuries, including one who had been attacked with an axe. A third victim had managed to escape unharmed and assisted emergency services in administering first aid.

Detectives immediately launched an investigation into the attack and established the three victims had been targeted by two men travelling in a silver Mercedes. They had forced the victims, who were travelling in a white Seat, to stop in the live carriageway before attacking them. Further evidence suggested that all parties knew each other.

The suspects fled the scene immediately after the attack. Analysis by officers identified Dawood Khan as a person of interest to the investigation.

Khan had left the country for Afghanistan the day after the incident but later returned to the UK on January 25. The 28-year-old was arrested three days later at his London home.

Enquiries also saw Esmatullah Paktiawal arrested when it was established he had returned to accommodation at Napier Barracks in Folkestone hours after the attack, having suffered injuries to his head, back, and hands. The 36-year-old claimed these were caused by a fall against a fence but needed to be taken to hospital by ambulance.

He was later arrested in Manchester on February 23. Both men pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm with intent.

Their trial lasted six weeks and concluded on November 21 at Canterbury Crown Court, where a jury found them guilty of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm with intent. On November 26, they were sentenced to a combined 48 years in prison.

Both Paktiawal, of Britannia Place, Plymouth, and Khan, of Westchester Drive, London, received a total of 24 years in prison for their roles in the attack.

Killer from Dartford jailed

A murderer from Dartford has been jailed for life after stabbing a woman to death while she slept before sexually abusing her body. Ernestas Juska attacked his victim with a large kitchen knife as she lay in bed, inflicting fatal injuries.

The 21-year-old was arrested during the morning of August 17, 2024, after approaching a member of public in Wordsworth Way, Dartford, and telling them to call police as he had killed someone. He was detained by attending patrols at a bus stop, before directing officers to the crime scene at his home in nearby Henderson Drive.

When officers entered the property, the 39-year-old victim was found dead on a bed having suffered multiple stab wounds. After Juska was taken into custody, he told officers the victim was a family friend and had been staying overnight.

He said he killed her as he wanted ‘to lash out’ and that it had been important she was not someone who was close to him. Juska explained that in the evening prior to the attack he had been drinking and consumed cocaine.

At around 6.40am on the morning of the murder, he chose a knife from the kitchen and after climbing the stairs entered a bedroom and attacked the victim as she slept. He also admitted he later went on to sexually abuse her and was charged with murder and committing a sexual offence against a deceased female.

Juska pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court. He was sentenced on November 28 to life imprisonment and will have to serve a minimum of 24 years and seven months’ before he can be considered for parole.

December

Ashford drug dealers jailed for total of 21 years

Two brothers from Ashford have been sentenced to a combined 21 years in prison following a drug investigation.

David and Damien Derrick came to the attention of officers in 2021 after intelligence suggested they were behind a significant influx of class A drugs into the region.

Police officers stopped a vehicle in Ashford on November 15, 2021,. The driver was identified as a courier who was due to meet with Damien, so the pair could exchange large quantities of drugs.

A search of the car uncovered three kilograms of high-purity cocaine concealed in a hidden compartment in the boot. He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison in 2022.

Analysis of his phone and call records showed that this meeting was not a one off, but part of a series of drug exchanges between the two men. Further investigation revealed that David was directing the operation, while Damien acted mainly as a courier.

In February 2022, search warrants were executed at both brothers’ homes in Ashford. At David’s address, officers seized small amounts of cocaine and cannabis, six Rolex watches, a knuckle duster, an imitation firearm and £3,000 in cash.

At Damien’s property, police found 19 bags of cocaine hidden in his car, along with five Rolex watches and £5,000 in cash.

Further warrants were obtained for three safety deposit boxes belonging to David. Inside, officers discovered extremely high value assets, including 26 Rolex watches, and two gold bars.

Both brothers had multiple charges brought against them including conspiracy to supply class A drugs, and possession with intent to supply class A drug. Following a week-long trial, a jury unanimously found them guilty.

They were sentenced on December 12 at Canterbury Crown Court. Damien, 38, of Burton Road, Kennington, received eight years. David, 43 ,of Ball Lane, Kennington, received 13 years.

Tunbridge Wells arsonist jailed following house fire

Ryan James started two fires in his flat on Dudley Road in the town centre, one in the bedroom and one in the living room. The 41-year-old then locked the front door behind him and walked away from the building.

The fire alarms were set off which alerted the other residents in the building and the emergency services were called. Two neighbours of James tried to get into his locked flat, believing he was still inside.

But due to the danger, they were forced to evacuate, and crews from Kent Fire and Rescue Service were then able get inside the flat and put out the fire.

James had started the fire at around 11.30am on August 24, 2024. An investigation found James had visited his gym an hour before, where he stored his belongings in one of the lockers. When officers arrested him two days later, he had the front door keys on him.

James was charged, and later pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

On December 19 this year, he was given an extended prison sentence with a custodial element of six years and three months. He will then have to serve a further three years on licence when he becomes eligible for parole.

Jail for cousins who caused fatal collision in Chatham

Two cousins who caused the death of a man in a fatal crash in Chatham have been jailed. Tryon Francois and David Francois attended a family social function in Lordswood on November 26, 2021 where they were seen to be drinking alcohol.

At 12.23am the following morning, they left the venue in David’s Ford Transit van. The dashcam within the vehicle caught David’s erratic driving and disagreements between the pair as to who should be behind the wheel.

After narrowly avoiding driving into a fence, David pulled over and swapped seats with Tryon. Tryon, also under the influence of drugs, continued to drive in an erratic manner as they approached Luton Road.

Travelling in excess of the 30mph speed limit the van mounted the footpath colliding with brick walls and iron fences. The victim, Jason Bale, was standing against one of these walls and was hit with such force he was thrown into the front garden of a basement property.

The van also collided with a gas main which caused a leak. Following the incident, Tyron fled the scene after begging his cousin to join him. David refused as his cats were in the back of the van and instead waited for police to arrive.

Jason Bale’s body was located by a firefighter who was assisting with an evacuation of the area due to the gas leak. Firefighters and paramedics worked hard to save him, but Jason was pronounced dead at the scene.

When approached by officers David refused to leave the area and then became violent. Forcefully pushing one officer, kicking another and causing bruising to a female officer’s arm.

Tyron, 29 of Haig Avenue, Chatham pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to eight years imprisonment. David, 49, of Barrington Gate Holbeach, Lincolnshire was found guilty of aiding and abetting death by dangerous driving and jailed for 13 years.

He has also been disqualified from driving for 17 years. Both men we sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on December 18.

Two jailed for violent car robberies in Dartford

Two men who plotted car thefts and filmed their crimes have been jailed for two violent robberies in Dartford.

Lewis Turner and Thomas Ripley orchestrated the two robberies via phone messages and then filmed their ill-gotten gains before trying to sell them on.

But when officers arrested Ripley and seized his phone they found the incriminating evidence of their crimes.

The pair have now been sentenced to a total of more than 13 years in prison. Read more here

Gillingham sex offender jailed

A sex offender from Gillingham has been jailed for eight years after targeting a child.

Andrew Stevens, 60, was found guilty by a jury at the Central Criminal Court of four counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Stevens was arrested on June 1, 2023 after his victim disclosed the offences committed between 2008 and 2012.

He denied the charges against him and was convicted following a trial. Stevens, who lived near Barnsole Road, was sentenced on Monday 8 December to eight years in prison

Maidstone man sentenced for rape outside town centre flats

A homeless man from Maidstone has been jailed after he was convicted of raping a woman in a communal area next to a block of flats.

Thomas Underdown assaulted the victim after they had agreed to meet at an outbuilding that he slept in, close to St Peter’s Street. The ordeal started at around 12.20am on January 5, 2024, when after they kissed the victim made it clear she did not consent to any further intimacy.

In response, Underdown repeatedly prevented the victim from getting up from a mattress he used and went on to abuse her. The offences were reported to Kent Police on 9 January and Underdown was arrested on the following day.

He was charged with rape and after pleading not guilty a trial was held at Southwark Crown Court, which led to him being convicted by unanimous verdict.

On December 5, Underdown, 33, was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment. He will have to serve a minimum of two thirds of the sentence before he can apply for parole and was also made the subject of an indefinite restraining order.

Jail sentence following Canterbury killing

A man has been jailed following a “senseless” knife attack which killed a 23-year-old in Canterbury city centre. An altercation took place in the city’s high street shortly before 11.30pm on October 10 last year, during which Mohammed Nour Hgar armed himself with a blade.

He stabbed his victim in the chest causing, what police describe as, “catastrophic injuries”. Emergency responders rushed to the scene and established a cordon, but were unable to save the victim’s life.

Samare Gerezgihir died in the early hours of October 11. A full investigation was subsequently launched which, through reviewing CCTV footage, uncovered that Hgar had come into contact with a group of men in the busy high street before a violent confrontation began.

Both parties were known to each other prior to the attack, Kent Police said and, whilst no specific motive has been disclosed by Hgar, it is believed the victim and Hgar had an ongoing conflict. Hgar fled Canterbury, getting in a taxi to Herne Bay where he was found and arrested by police at around 5am the same day.

He had changed his clothing shortly after the incident in a failed attempt to evade detection. On October 14, Hgar was charged with murder, but during his trial at Canterbury Crown Court he admitted manslaughter on the grounds of excessive self-defence which was accepted by the court.

On Thursday (December 4), he appeared once more at Canterbury Crown Court where he was sentenced to nine years in jail.

You can see the latest crime and court news from Kent in our free newsletter here