Here we take a look at some of the criminals locked up during the final four months of the year.
All of the information below comes from either Sussex Police or our reporters attending court in person.
17. Locked up in Sussex 2023: These are some of the criminals jailed between September and December
A Sussex delivery driver tried to threaten and bribe a young boy after sexually assaulting him. Sussex Police said Nick Mesquitta, 30, of Western Street, Brighton, sexually assaulted a child inside a property and threatened him with violence if he reported it. “Mesquitta managed to isolate the young boy from his father in Lancing and then drove him to an address in Brighton,” a police spokesperson said. "Mesquitta also used anti-bacterial wipes to clean the young boy in an attempt to evade forensics. Mesquitta forced the young boy to take £30 cash to pretend nothing had happened and made threats of violence by saying that he knew people who could harm the young boy.” Police said Mesquitta falsely claimed to the victim’s father the boy was ‘behaving in an inappropriate, sexual manner’ on the drive home and had stolen £30 from him. “When the young boy returned to his home address, he disclosed the sexual assault to his parents shortly after, who reported it to police that night,” the police spokesperson said. "Mesquitta was arrested on September 10, 2022 and found to be in breach of an existing Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), prohibiting him from contacting or being alone with anyone under 16-years-old, without permission of a parent or guardian.” Mesquitta was subsequently charged with inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, assault by touching and breaching his SHPO, police said. At Brighton Magistrates’ Court on September 12, 2022, he was remanded in custody. At Lewes Crown Court on August 22, 2023, Mesquitta was sentenced to 13 years and six months, with seven and a half years in custody, plus six years on extended licence. Photo: Sussex Police
18. Locked up in Sussex 2023: These are some of the criminals jailed between September and December
A driver who collided with a 76 year-old pedestrian at a crossing in Hastings has been sentenced. Lee Griffin, 46, was driving in St Helen’s Road when he struck the pensioner who was on a pedestrian crossing. The 78-year-old local woman suffered multiple injuries and tragically later died. At Lewes Crown Court on September 29, Griffin admitted causing death by careless driving. He has been sentenced to 18 months in prison and disqualified from driving for three years and nine months. The court heard how the incident happened at the pedestrian crossing in St Helen’s Road at about 4.20pm on August 25, 2021. Motorists travelling in the opposite direction had stopped to let the pensioner cross the road, but Griffin failed to do so. He claimed he had not seen her as she crossed the road. A Forensic Collision Investigation report concluded that Griffin, of Southdown Avenue, Hastings, would have had an unobstructed view of the crossing. It was not clear for what reason he had failed to see her. It may have been because he had failed to perceive her in a timely manner, or failed to perceive her movements to respond to her as a hazard ahead, or he may have been travelling too fast to allow enough time to react. The court heard how his vehicle, a blue Fiat Panda, had an MOT certificate which expired in December 2020. The victim’s family described the victim as a loving and devoted mother and grandmother who will be remembered with the utmost love and affection. Photo: Sussex Police
19. Locked up in Sussex 2023: These are some of the criminals jailed between September and December
An East Sussex man who subjected a woman to months of repeated rapes, violent assaults and psychological abuse has been given five life sentences, Sussex Police have confirmed. Police said Charles Durdle, 26, of Blatchington Road, first raped his victim at a property in Hove in April 2022. A Sussex Police spokesperson said: “Over the subsequent months, up to September 2022, Durdle continued to rape her on an almost daily basis, isolated her from her family and friends, and controlled almost every aspect of her life. Her physical health suffered hugely, losing 38kg over an 18-month period. On one occasion Durdle tied a noose around her neck and pulled it tight until she could not breathe, leaving asphyxiation injuries on her throat. Durdle’s offending was first reported to police in September 2022, when his victim caught him sending sexual videos of the two of them to a teenager. She also disclosed previous instances of violent abuse and threats to kill her. He was swiftly arrested, found to be in breach of an existing Sexual Harm Prevention Order and remanded in custody. Durdle was subsequently charged with five counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, and one count each of making indecent photographs of a child, actual bodily harm, intentional strangulation, engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour and with breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He pleaded guilty to all counts and at Lewes Crown Court on Friday, October 20, was given five life sentences to run concurrently, with a minimum jail term of 10 years and two months. He was also given an indefinite restraining order and will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.” Photo: Sussex Police
20. Locked up in Sussex 2023: These are some of the criminals jailed between September and December
Three people have been sentenced after they were caught attempting to steal £20,000 worth of mobile phones from a supermarket. The trio entered Tesco in Jane Murray Way, Burgess Hill, on the afternoon of May 17 and started to rip the devices from display. Their actions caught the attention of staff, customers and three off-duty police officers, who quickly responded to detain the suspects and recover the phones. A number of people were assaulted in the process. The three defendants were subsequently arrested and charged with attempted robbery, and all pleaded guilty. Valetin Bocan (pictured), 24, of no fixed address, was remanded in custody and appeared before Lewes Crown Court on September 8, where he was sentenced to 23 months’ imprisonment. Mario Ilie, 18, of Saint Awdrys Road, Barking, was sentenced to 22 months – suspended for 24 months – at an earlier hearing and a 16-year-old boy from Ilford, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was referred to a youth offender panel. Photo: Sussex Police