Sussex’s judges, juries and magistrates were busy in April.
These are some of the most serious, high-profile and prolific offenders who were jailed in the fourth month of 2023.
All information comes directly from Sussex Police.
5. Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in April 2023
A pensioner from Bognor Regis has been found guilty of sex offences against a child more than half a century ago, Sussex Police have said. Police said Terrence Whiffin appeared before Portsmouth Crown Court for trial, which started on February 20, charged with 10 offences, including rape and indecent assault, in the late sixties and early seventies. A police spokesperson said: “A jury unanimously found him guilty of all 10 charges against him, and on 28 March he was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment, to serve a minimum of two-thirds.” Police said the victim came forward in 2018. Police added that Whiffin, 74, of Servite Close, Bognor Regis, ‘strenuously denied’ the allegations, claiming they were a ‘total fabrication’. Photo: Sussex Police
6. Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in April 2023
A convicted drug-dealer has been jailed for raping a woman in an alleyway in West Sussex, Sussex Police has confirmed. Police said the victim was walking alone through Memorial Gardens, Crawley in the early hours of September 1, 2022 when she approached a man for a cigarette. Sussex Police said he told her to follow him, which she did, and together they walked into an alleyway in Three Bridges Road. It was here that the man raped her. police added. Sussex Police said the victim managed to walk back towards the town centre following the ordeal and the incident was reported to police. A forensic submission was completed, which returned a DNA hit for Florin Cotoi, 46, of no fixed address, police confirmed. Sussex Police said he was arrested and found to be in possession of clothing matching the description provided by the victim. He was charged with rape but denied the offence, and the case went for trial, police added. A jury found him guilty and at Lewes Crown Court on March 29 he was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment, Sussex Police confirmed. Police said the offence activated a suspended sentence in May 2022 for two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs – diamorphine and crack cocaine. He was subsequently handed a further 12-month consecutive sentence, taking the total sentence to nine years, Sussex Police added. Police said he is also been placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely. Photo: Sussex Police
7. Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in April 2023
A fraudster from East Sussex who deceived clients and took payment for legal services has been jailed, police said. Officers said Christopher Bilmes, 45, stole more than £1.7 million over a three-year period from those who had trusted him as their solicitor. A Sussex Police spokesperson added: “He provided conveyancing, general litigate, family and matrimonial services and was the head partner of his own legal firm, based at Groombridge in East Sussex. But after taking money, customers found they were not able to have their mortgages redeemed.” Bilmes was first investigated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and then by Sussex Police’s Economic Crime Unit, police explained. The spokesperson said: “In January he admitted seven charges before Hove Crown Court, which included five counts of fraud by abuse of position, and two counts of fraud by false representation. On April 6, Bilmes, of Mayfield Road, Five Ashes, was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for the offences. The court heard how the crimes were committed between October 2014-November 2017, when the Solicitors Regulation Authority scrutinised his dealings in connection with a £400,000 mortgage. A number of victims then came forward to support the police investigation. The authority has paid out more than £2.7 million in compensation.” Officers said they also found that Bilmes had put pressure on people to take high interest loans which left clients in serious financial difficulty when his legal firm was investigated and closed down. Photo: Sussex Police
8. Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in April 2023
A Surrey man who sexually assaulted a young girl in Sussex has been sentenced at court, Sussex Police has confirmed. Abdus Sukur, 32, of Lumley Road in Horley, travelled to Brighton where he sexually assaulted his victim, police said. Sussex Police said the victim reported the assault to social services and Sukur was arrested. He was subsequently charged with sexual assault on a child and found guilty at Hove Crown Court on Friday, March 17, after a four-day trial, police added. At Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, April 13, Sukur was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years, Sussex Police confirmed. He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years, significantly reducing his ability to reoffend, and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years, police added. Photo: Sussex Police