Christopher Morris, 42, of Glessing Road, Stone Cross near Pevensey, was sentenced to six years in prison at Lewes Crown Court on April 11, having previously admitted possession of five kilos of cocaine with intent to supply, and money laundering. Morris had just left his home on December 15 last year when he was stopped by officers from the force's Specialist Enforcement Unit (SEU) who specialise in disruption and enforcement operations on roads across the county, targeting those involved in serious, organised and violent crime. As they went to speak to Morris, who was alone in the car, they saw him turn behind him and on looking in the rear passenger footwell they found a bag containing two other bags, one with five kilos of cocaine with a potential street value of up to £400,000, and the other one with £40,000 cash. At his home they found a further quantity of cocaine and several thousands pounds more cash. Morris claimed to be carrying the drugs and cash under duress for dealers, but was unable to produce Photo: Sussex Police
6.
Mark Leadbeatter, 60, of The Spinney, Pulborough, was driving a Nissan Almera when he crossed into the opposite carriageway and crashed into an Audi SQ5. The incident occurred in Forest Road, Horsham, around 11.40am on September 12, 2019. His rear seat passenger, Roger Lees, 54, from Coldwaltham, was tragically pronounced dead at the scene. Leadbeatter himself sustained multiple serious injuries, while the occupants of the Audi suffered minor injuries. Just five minutes earlier, Leadbeatter was at fault for another collision in nearby Redkiln Way. He crashed into a Ford Transit van after failing to give way at the roundabout – causing serious injuries to the driver – but failed to stop and continued on his journey. Further to this, numerous witnesses reported his vehicle being driven in an extremely erratic manner between Pulborough and Horsham earlier that day. A blood sample was taken from Leadbeatter while he was in hospital, which revealed he had 658mcg of diazepam per litre of blood in his system. The le Photo: Sussex Police
7.
Shaun Foryann, 34, of Middle Street in Brighton, had been given a Community Protection Order forbidding him from entering locations including Churchill Square, Western Road and North Street in September 2021, for persistent shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. He was also serving a suspended sentence for 16 counts of shoplifting. But on February 9 he was confronted by Churchill Square security after entering the Apple store and on Sunday and Monday, March 27 and 28, he was caught on CCTV in Vision Express stealing £2,810-worth of sunglasses. Foryann was also captured on CCTV stealing more than £600 of products from Hugo Boss in East Street on February 27, and returned three days later to steal a pair of tracksuit bottoms worth £139. On March 29, Foryann was chased out of JoJo jewellers in Kensington Gardens as he brazenly attempted to steal jewellery worth around £1,000, but dropped a tray on the floor. This offence was also captured on CCTV. He was arrested later that day and charged with five counts of sh Photo: Sussex Police
8.
Sophie George, 20, of Highbrook Close in Brighton, was jailed for 13.5 years on April 6 after pleading guilty to attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place. It followed an incident shortly after midnight on Saturday, October 10, 2020, in which George, who was 18 at the time, arranged to be picked up by a man who was known to her. On the way to his house she asked if they could take a detour, during which she jumped out and collected two filled shopping bags. As the pair continued on their journey, George became insistent they drive to a nearby park and on several occasions grabbed the wheel. As her victim – a 23-year-old man – resisted, George pulled out a knife in Selsfield Drive and threatened him. A struggle ensued as the pair left the van and fought in the street, during which the victim managed to throw the knife into a bush. George bit her victim’s finger down to the bone while he made a 999 call to the police, as did a watching member of the public. Officers arrived on the Photo: Sussex Police