Here we take a look at some of the criminals locked up during the summer of 2022.
All of the information below comes from either Sussex Police or our reporters attending court in person.
49. Locked up in Sussex 2022: These are some of the criminals jailed between May and August
A 50-year-old man has been jailed for a series of historic sexual assaults on a girl. Gavin Wright, of Norfolk Way, Uckfield, was sentenced at Chichester Crown Court on August 2 having been convicted of six sexual assaults and for possessing and distributing indecent images of children. He was given a seven-year prison sentence, police said. Detective Constable Ellen Jones of the West Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit said Wright ‘systematically abused’ the girl in West Sussex ‘for his own sexual gratification’. She said: "When we arrested Wright we found in his possession vile indecent images of children being abused. "While we were investigating his sexual assaults, our colleagues in the force's Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) were investigating his more recent though completely unrelated online activities. They had found that another sex offender was messaging him and sending these images who he then sent on to others. "So he received four-and-a-half years for the sexual assaults and an additional two-and-a-half years for the online offending. "He will also be a registered sex offender for life, and was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to last until further notice, severely restricting his access to children and digital devices. "In addition he was given a court Restraining Order prohibiting him from any contact with his victim." Photo: Sussex Police
50. Locked up in Sussex 2022: These are some of the criminals jailed between May and August
A Crawley man has been sent to prison for attempting to sexually assault a woman in her 70s, Sussex Police has reported. Sussex Police said Kaspars Grikis, 38, of Clappers Gate, Crawley, was given a 12-month prison sentence at Crawley Magistrates Court on Tuesday, August 2, having admitted the attempted sexual touching of the woman near the address at which he was living, on July 22. He was given a registered sex offender requirement for five years and was also given a court Restraining Order to last until further notice, prohibiting him from any contact with his victim, police added. Police said the court heard that Grikis had approached the woman, who he did not know, for no apparent reason, tried to engage her in conversation but then touched and attempted to kiss her. She resisted his attentions and police were informed, Sussex Police added. Photo: Sussex Police
51. Locked up in Sussex 2022: These are some of the criminals jailed between May and August
A Hastings man who was involved in the supply of Class A drugs has been jailed for almost six years, police said. Samuel Mills came to police’s attention as part of an investigation into a county drugs line running between London and Hastings, which culminated in a day of action and multiple arrests being made in May 2022. Police said during the operation, a phone was seized and messages pertaining the supply of Class A drugs were found on the device. One of the recipients of these messages was 29-year-old Mills. Officers established Mills had left the country in May and travelled to France. Police said further enquiries later found a last-minute flight booked from Geneva to Gatwick Airport, where Mills was arrested upon exiting the plane on June 1. Sussex Police added that due to the volume of evidence linking Mills to a phone number involved in the supply of cocaine, he was charged with being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug. Mills, of Braybrooke Road, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years and nine months’ imprisonment when he appeared at Lewes Crown Court on Friday, August 5. Photo: Sussex Police
52. Locked up in Sussex 2022: These are some of the criminals jailed between May and August
A 37-year-old man has been found guilty of the attempted rape of a teenager in Hastings. Luke Anderson, unemployed and of no fixed address, assaulted his victim, according to police, while she was sitting near the underpass in Wellington Place around 10pm on January 29, 2022. A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: “A member of the public witnessed the assault and wrestled Anderson off the victim. The witness called police and was able to identify Anderson when he returned to the scene. Officers were then able to swiftly arrest him. “Anderson was later charged with rape and pleaded not guilty during an appearance at Brighton Magistrates’ Court. He was remanded in custody until trial and maintained his innocence throughout. “Extensive enquiries were conducted, including interviews with multiple witnesses who were in the area at the time. A trawl of CCTV cameras in the town centre placed Anderson at the scene and DNA tests linked him to the victim.” A unanimous jury found him guilty on Thursday, August 4 and Anderson was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison. He will also be added to the Sex Offenders’ Register for life. The victim has been supported by specialist-officers throughout the investigation. Photo: Sussex Police