Locked up in Sussex: Here are some of the criminals jailed in December
By John Holden
Published 9th Jan 2021, 14:01 GMT
Updated 9th Jan 2021, 14:09 GMT
Brutal murderers, sex offenders and more hapless thieves were brought to justice in Sussex last month.
These criminals will be ringing in the new year behind bars thanks to the relentless work of the police, supporting agencies and the bravery of their victims. All information on the cases come from either Sussex Police or our reporters attending court first-hand.
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Some of the criminals jailed in Sussex in December and very late November SUS-210901-134514001
. Daniel Appleton, Crawley Down
Daniel Appleton, 38, was found guilty of murdering his wife and a 76-year-old neighbour who rushed to help. Appleton had attacked his wife, Amy Appleton, on the drive of their Hazel Way home in Crawley Down on December 22, 2019. Sandy Seagrave, 76, was passing and crossed the road to confront Appleton, who beat her with her own walking stick. He then used the stick to further attack his wife. Both women were pronounced dead at the scene. Appleton then reentered the house and was found by police inside, having inflicted multiple life-threatening injuries to himself. His friends and family said he had been acting strangely leading up to the incident and witnesses said he seemed 'like he was possessed'. Three psychiatric assessments considered Appleton to have experienced a brief psychotic episode at the time of the killings and hallucinogenic drugs were found in his system. Appleton was convicted of murder on December 29 and will be sentenced on January 25.
. Amy Winter, Brighton
Forty-year-old Amy Winter assaulted two paramedics who were trying to give her treatment following a fire at her flat in Surrey Street, Brighton, on Christmas Eve. Winter was being treated in the back of an ambulance, while the fire service put out the fire shortly after 3pm, but she repeatedly punched the paramedics, causing minor arm injuries. She was arrested and pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting an emergency worker on Boxing Day. She was sentenced to six months in prison.
. Carl Duncan, Enfield
Carl Duncan, 61, of Colvin Gardens in Enfield, was jailed after racking up penalty points on a woman's driving licence by giving her details when he was caught carrying out motoring offences. He used his own bank card to pay the fines, but intercepted his victim's mail and admitted the offences on her behalf. It was only after the woman reported a separate incident to police that the allegations came to light. Duncan had been caught speeding on the A22 in Whyteleafe in May 2016 and on the A22 in East Grinstead in August 2017. He also ran a red light in Norwood Road in London on February 21, 2017. He pleaded guilty to three counts of perverting the course of justice at Lewes Crown Court on Tuesday 8 December, where he was sentenced to 255 days’ imprisonment and further disqualified from driving for 24 months.
. Christopher Light, Broadbridge Heath
Christopher Light, 42, was caught breaking into a car just days after being convicted of similar offences. Light, of Broadbridge Heath, was given a 12-month community order on December 21 after being found guilty of four counts of vehicle interference. But just a week later, on December 28, he was witnessed rummaging through the glovebox of a car in Ellis Road. He was arrested and found to be in possession of a bank card belonging to someone else. Light was charged with vehicle interference, theft of a bank card and breach of a community order and jailed for 32 weeks on December 30.
. Glenn Waters, no fixed address
A collaborative effort from agencies across Sussex brought prolific offender Glenn Waters to justice. The 34-year-old, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to five counts of criminal damage in Shoreham between October 15 and 16, two counts of stalking involving fear of violence on September 27 and October 16, and one count of theft from a motorcycle on October 16. He was also convicted of one count of assault in Hove on January 24, 2019, for which he had failed to appear at court on November 12 last year. He was arrested on the A27 near Emsworth on November 24 after missing the court hearing. Waters was jailed for 42 weeks on November 30. Detective Sergeant Stuart McAdams of West Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: "Glenn Waters is no stranger to us, having been convicted of a number of other offences in the past few years. This outcome was the result of a big team effort across the force in West Sussex, including CID, response officers and our intel team as well as the SIU
1. Daniel Appleton, Crawley Down
Daniel Appleton, 38, was found guilty of murdering his wife and a 76-year-old neighbour who rushed to help. Appleton had attacked his wife, Amy Appleton, on the drive of their Hazel Way home in Crawley Down on December 22, 2019. Sandy Seagrave, 76, was passing and crossed the road to confront Appleton, who beat her with her own walking stick. He then used the stick to further attack his wife. Both women were pronounced dead at the scene. Appleton then reentered the house and was found by police inside, having inflicted multiple life-threatening injuries to himself. His friends and family said he had been acting strangely leading up to the incident and witnesses said he seemed 'like he was possessed'. Three psychiatric assessments considered Appleton to have experienced a brief psychotic episode at the time of the killings and hallucinogenic drugs were found in his system. Appleton was convicted of murder on December 29 and will be sentenced on January 25.
2. Amy Winter, Brighton
Forty-year-old Amy Winter assaulted two paramedics who were trying to give her treatment following a fire at her flat in Surrey Street, Brighton, on Christmas Eve. Winter was being treated in the back of an ambulance, while the fire service put out the fire shortly after 3pm, but she repeatedly punched the paramedics, causing minor arm injuries. She was arrested and pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting an emergency worker on Boxing Day. She was sentenced to six months in prison.
3. Carl Duncan, Enfield
Carl Duncan, 61, of Colvin Gardens in Enfield, was jailed after racking up penalty points on a woman's driving licence by giving her details when he was caught carrying out motoring offences. He used his own bank card to pay the fines, but intercepted his victim's mail and admitted the offences on her behalf. It was only after the woman reported a separate incident to police that the allegations came to light. Duncan had been caught speeding on the A22 in Whyteleafe in May 2016 and on the A22 in East Grinstead in August 2017. He also ran a red light in Norwood Road in London on February 21, 2017. He pleaded guilty to three counts of perverting the course of justice at Lewes Crown Court on Tuesday 8 December, where he was sentenced to 255 days’ imprisonment and further disqualified from driving for 24 months.
4. Christopher Light, Broadbridge Heath
Christopher Light, 42, was caught breaking into a car just days after being convicted of similar offences. Light, of Broadbridge Heath, was given a 12-month community order on December 21 after being found guilty of four counts of vehicle interference. But just a week later, on December 28, he was witnessed rummaging through the glovebox of a car in Ellis Road. He was arrested and found to be in possession of a bank card belonging to someone else. Light was charged with vehicle interference, theft of a bank card and breach of a community order and jailed for 32 weeks on December 30.