Here we take a look at some of the criminals locked up during the first third of the year.
All of the information below comes from either Sussex Police or our reporters attending court in person.
25. Locked up in Sussex 2022: These are some of the criminals jailed between January and April
A 'professional criminal' who drove thousands of pounds-worth of stolen vehicles under false registration plates has been jailed. Sussex Police said Robert Thompson, 35, of Church Road in Hove, was found behind the wheel of a £50,000 stolen Range Rover Velar on January 6 last year. It was driven under a false registration plate linked to a different Range Rover Velar, which had been stolen from Brighton, police said. Police searched his property and found the keys to the Citroen and a quantity of cocaine, police said. Police said DNA and fingerprint evidence also linked Thompson to a BMW X3 worth £12,000 stolen from Worthing in June, 2020. Thompson pleaded guilty to three counts of receiving stolen goods in relation to the two Range Rovers and the BMW and two counts of fraudulently using false registration plates on the Range Rover Velar and Citroen Nemo, police said. He was sentenced to 30-months in prison at Lewes Crown Court on March 17 after pleading guilty to five offences. Half will be served on licence. Photo: Sussex Police
26. Locked up in Sussex 2022: These are some of the criminals jailed between January and April
Nathan Virgo was jailed for three months after he drove at excess speed in a Mercedes Sprinter van on the A27 westbound carriageway at Hangleton on August 9 last year. The 43-year-old delivery driver attempted to undertake a BMW SUV at high speed and ended up spinning to face the wrong way on the dual carriageway. The BMW driver was left trapped with serious injuries in the wreckage of his vehicle which flipped onto its side on the grass verge after being hit by Virgo’s vehicle. Emergency services were called and the A27 was closed for more than two hours while the man was extracted and then taken to hospital. Virgo, formerly of Coleridge Crescent, Goring, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of drug-driving after completing a roadside DrugWipe test which was positive for cannabis, and also on suspicion of dangerous driving. At Brighton Magistrates’ Court on March 16, he admitted the two charges, and a further charge of being found in possession of cannabis. Photo: Sussex Police
27. Locked up in Sussex 2022: These are some of the criminals jailed between January and April
Anthony Bert, 61, of Namrik Mews in Hove, was sentenced to 64 months in prison at Lewes Crown Court on March 3, after pleading guilty to two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. It followed an assault near his former home address in St Aubyns on March 23, 2021. Bert became aggressive towards his neighbour – a 50-year-old woman – after she had temporarily parked her car in a private car park while she collected some items from her garden. After making repeated threats, Bert violently assaulted her, causing significant injuries to her face and chest, before fleeing the scene. Four months previously, in November 2020, Bert had been the subject of an emergency call from the same victim after he kicked her front door and shouted threatening and abusive language. In that instance, Bert was spoken to by police officers after the victim chose not to pursue a prosecution. Following the assault, an arrest warrant was circulated for Bert and he was arrested at Heathrow Airport Photo: Sussex Police
28. Locked up in Sussex 2022: These are some of the criminals jailed between January and April
Sammy Mosuambe, 23, of Houlder Crescent, Croydon, appeared at Lewes Crown Court on March 8 charged with two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and one count of possessing a Class B drug (cannabis). Mosuambe was stopped and searched by officers around Selborne Road on February 6, after being identified by a local PCSO as being involved in an unrelated matter. Seven small wraps of drugs – later confirmed to be cocaine – fell from his trouser legs during the search, and a key was found to a property in The Drive, Hove. A search of the address found 50 grams of Class A drugs in 100 individual wraps, plus around £200 in cash and a small amount of cannabis. A further search in custody also found two mobile phones, £198.10 in cash and more cocaine. Mosuambe was found guilty of all charges at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on February 8, and was remanded in custody. He was sentenced to four years in prison for each Class A charge and one month in prison for possession of cannabis Photo: Sussex Police