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.
21. Locked up in Sussex 2022: These are some of the criminals jailed between May and August
Two men who robbed a boy of his gold ring – then forced his friend to assault him in front of them – have been jailed for a total of 13 years. The 17-year-old was with his friends at Clair Park in Haywards Heath on October 15, 2020, when he was approached by two men. They separated him from the group and asked to borrow his ring, which belonged to his late grandfather and was valued at about £500. The victim, who was aged just 16 at the time of the incident, refused to hand it over. At this point, he was assaulted and tripped to the floor by one man, identified as Mark Brazil, 23, of Lloyd Road, Chichester (left). The boy managed to make it back to his friends, but Brazil grabbed him by the throat and threatened to hurt him. He declared: “Give me your ring or I’ll cut your finger off.” Due to fear of violence, the boy handed the ring over. A second man, identified as Benjamin Taylor-Baker, 26, of Francis Close, Haywards Heath (right), then demanded the victim removed his clothes and shoes. Photo: Sussex Police
22. Locked up in Sussex 2022: These are some of the criminals jailed between May and August
A teenager who committed a knife-point aggravated burglary at a convenience store in Crawley has been jailed for five years. Police were called to the incident at Casbah in Horsham Road about 11.25pm on December 16. A member of staff was preparing to close for the evening when two masked men – both armed with knives – entered the shop and immediately walked behind the counter. They started taking bottles of alcohol from the shelf and cash from the till, and the worker sustained a small cut to the head as he attempted to intervene. A few days later, 18-year-old Thomas Penny, of Brighton Road, Redhill, Surrey, was arrested for an unrelated matter in Dorking, Surrey. Following investigation into this matter, police were able to link him to the aggravated burglary in Crawley; further examination also revealed he had carried out an internet search with the words ‘Crawley knife point robbery’. He was subsequently charged with aggravated burglary. He pleaded guilty to the offence, and at Lewes Crown Court on June 10. Photo: Sussex Police
23. Locked up in Sussex 2022: These are some of the criminals jailed between May and August
A man who impersonated a police officer before stealing a bank card from an elderly resident, which he later used to make numerous purchases, has been jailed. Detectives investigating a series of distraction burglaries in Bognor Regis were able to link James Beaney, 45, of Gravits Lane, Bognor Regis, to at least two of them. About 8pm on May 16, he called at the address of an 89-year-old man in the town. He claimed to be a plain-clothed police officer and insisted on searching the property to ensure the man was not the victim of a recent burglary. Beaney left the property without having stolen any items, and was later recognised as the offender during an identification procedure. Around the same time the following evening, a 92-year-old woman answered her door in Pagham to a man matching the same description as Beaney. Again, he impersonated a police officer and gave a false account in able to enter the address. Whilst the victim was distracted, he stole her wallet containing cash and a bank card. Photo: Sussex Police
24. Locked up in Sussex 2022: These are some of the criminals jailed between May and August
A drug dealer who sold heroin to vulnerable users in Eastbourne has been jailed. Jordan Catt operated the “CJ” telephone line in the town to supply the class A drug between September 2021 and February 2022. The unemployed 27-year-old was arrested at an address in Pevensey Road, Eastbourne on February 10. Officers from Sussex Police, Surrey Police and the Metropolitan Police worked as part of a joint investigation under Operation Orochi and Operation Centurion, with the objective of disrupting “county lines” drug dealing in Sussex. They seized “burner” phones and Catt’s own personal phone in his room when he was arrested, and found evidence from the phones which proved he was the person operating the CJ line. The investigation showed how burner phones had sent bulk marketing messages to potential drug using customers in Eastbourne. Their investigation also revealed how Catt, formerly of Pevensey Road, Eastbourne, had used the burner phones to make personal calls such as to his dentist, and veterinary surgery Photo: Sussex Police