It has been another busy year for judges, juries and magistrates across Sussex.
Here we take a look at some of the criminals locked up during the summer of 2023.
All of the information below comes from either Sussex Police or our reporters attending court in person.
53. Locked up in Sussex 2023: These are some of the criminals jailed between May and August
A man has been jailed for his role in a series of burglaries, thefts and criminal damage in Brighton and Hove, and for leading police on a dangerous car chase along the A23. On 9 January, police received a report of a car having been stolen from Hove following a burglary. An investigation was launched and, on 15 January, the stolen vehicle – a Kia Sportage – was located and pursued by officers along the A23. The car, driven by 33-year-old Daniel Laverty of Maskelyn Close in Battersea, led officers and the NPAS helicopter at high speed before crashing. Laverty was arrested at the scene and released on conditional bail while enquiries continued. Two days later, in the early hours of Tuesday, 17 January, Laverty and an accomplice embarked on a stealing spree across Brighton and Hove, starting with damage and theft from a vehicle in Gordon Close, a burglary in Rutland Gardens – during which a car was stolen – and another burglary at a property in Clermont Terrace. The offenders were interrupted during one of the burglaries by a woman who went downstairs to find them in her house, while her two children and a friend slept upstairs. She chased them from the building, where she was threatened with violence. Laverty was arrested and subsequently charged with two counts of burglary, three counts of theft, theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, theft from a motor vehicle, failing to provide a specimen for analysis and possession of Class A drugs. At Hove Trial Centre on Wednesday, 26 July, Laverty pleaded or was found guilty of all charges, except one count of theft which was discontinued and entered as not guilty. Throughout the trial Laverty claimed to have no knowledge of any of the burglaries or vehicle thefts, despite being captured on doorbell footage at the scene of one of the crimes. He was sentenced on the same day to seven and a half years in prison. Photo: Sussex Police
54. Locked up in Sussex 2023: These are some of the criminals jailed between May and August
A Brighton man who sexually assaulted six women in public spaces in Brighton has been jailed, Sussex Police have said. Police said Hanok Zeray, 32, of Ringmer Road, Brighton, targeted lone women around Brighton city centre on multiple occasions in 2022. Police said they launched an investigation after a woman reported being raped in the Old Steine in Brighton on April 16. A Sussex Police spokesperson said: “She was supported by specialist officers and Hanok Zeray was arrested the following day on suspicion of rape. He was released under investigation while evidence was collected to pursue a charge. On Sunday, 22 May, two women reported being sexually assaulted in London Road and Southover Street in the early hours of the morning.” Police said enquiries were underway to identify a suspect when, on October 23, a third woman reported being sexually assaulted by a stranger in Elm Grove. Police said: “He harassed her persistently, but she was able to film him on her mobile phone and capture the sexual assault on film. Officers identified Zeray from the footage and he was arrested shortly after. He was charged with rape and three counts of sexual assault and remanded in custody. While remanded, Zeray was charged with three additional counts of sexual assault after three more women came forward to report being attacked. One on May 22 in London Road, one in Gladstone Place on 19 June and a third on 23 October.” Police said Zeray pleaded guilty to all six counts of sexual assault and not guilty to rape at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on February 24. Police added that the rape charge was later discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service. Police said Zeray was sentenced to eight years and three months in prison, with an extended licence period of five years, at Lewes Crown Court on Friday, July 21. Photo: Sussex Police