These are some of the most serious, high profile and prolific offenders who were jailed in the second month of 2026.
All information comes directly from Sussex Police.
5. Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in February 2026
An 18-year-old man and a 25-year-old man have been jailed following robbery spree in Eastbourne. The pair committed multiple robberies on December 27. 5.11pm: Police receive a report of a robbery at Aldi in Lottbridge Drive. Two men stole a pack of beer and bottle of alcohol, and assaulted staff. 7.20pm: Police receive a report of a robbery at Co-op in Cornfield Road. Staff were assaulted by two men stealing a pack of beer and other items. 7.48pm: Police receive a report of a robbery of a person in Lismore Road. A 50-year-old man was dragged from his car and physically assaulted by two men who also stole his phone and jacket. Enquiries began and officers identified the Louis Thornton, 18 (right), and Liam Kerwin, 25 (left), for the shop robberies. Speedy work by officers meant that they were located and arrested that evening (December 27) at around 8pm. Thornton was arrested on suspicion of robbery, and Kerwin was arrested on suspicion of theft from a shop and assault of a constable executing his or her duty. Following investigation, the duo were arrested on suspicion of further offences on December 28. Kerwin was arrested on suspicion of two counts of robbery, and charged the same day with all four offences. Thornton was arrested on suspicion of two additional counts of robbery and was charged the same day with all three offences. The pair appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on December 30 and were remanded into custody. Kerwin and Thornton appeared at Lewes Crown Court on January 26 where they both pleaded guilty to all charges and were remanded back into custody ahead of their sentencing. On February 13, the pair appeared at Lewes Crown Court. Louis Thornton, 18, of no fixed address, was jailed for two years and eight months. Liam Kerwin, 25, of no fixed address, was jailed for four years and two months and given a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) the includes a requirement to wear a location monitoring tag for one year. Photo: Sussex Police
6. Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in February 2026
A 57-year-old man has been sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to orchestrating a romance fraud scam in 2022 that cost its victim over £11,000. Andrew Cosham, 57, of Milne Way, Isle of Wight appeared at Hove Crown Court on February 16. Cosham met his victim on a dating site in the summer of 2019. The pair had spoken frequently and arranged to meet one evening. Date night arrived and the victim found when she went to text him, that he had blocked her. A year after ghosting his victim, Cosham made contact. He made excuses for his lack of contact and convinced her to resume the relationship. They then chatted frequently online. Finally, the couple met on a Friday in the spring of 2021. Cosham began staying with the victim most weekends after that, and before long, for prolonged periods of time throughout the week. She gave him a set of keys and introduced him to her family believing they were in a long-term relationship. Around the end of September, Cosham asked the victim for £200. Two weeks later, he ghosted her again and never repaid the money. Several months later, Cosham reached out to the victim again. He claimed he had not been in contact because he had been severely distressed struggling with ongoing divorce appeal proceedings and convinced her to resume their relationship again. Over the next few months Cosham lived predominantly with the victim, making false promises that they would get married and buy a house together once his bank account containing £3 million was unfrozen when the divorce appeal was finalised. The pair went to multiple house viewings together, the victim even paid for the survey of one property, but Cosham would always claim there were issues with the houses, and they would look for another. He told her lies about his financial needs and that he needed money to help his sister who was in poor health. Using his elderly sister’s bank account to obtain the money from the victim he would withdraw large sums to spend on other things. She was not involved with Photo: Sussex Police
7. Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in February 2026
In August 2025, a man was charged after a cannabis factory was discovered in Hove. Now he's been jailed. A warrant was executed in Wish Road, Hove on August 13 after suspicions regarding the use of the property had been raised. Inside the house, almost every room was found full of cannabis plants and growing equipment. It was also identified that the electricity had been dangerously bypassed. In total, 437 cannabis plants were found and seized, as well as 5kg of cropped cannabis. While conducting room searches, a man was discovered hiding within a plastic lining in the loft. He was arrested, and after initially providing an alias, was later identified as 39-year-old Hung Nguyen, of Wish Road, Hove. After claiming in interview that he did not know what type of plant he was growing, he was charged with abstracting/using electricity without authority, obstruct/ resisting a constable in the execution of duty, being concerned in the production of a Class B drug, and for being concerned in the supply of a controlled Class B drug. He appeared at Brighton Magistrates' Court on August 15 and was remanded in custody ahead of his trial. On February 11, Nguyen's trial began at Brighton Crown Court. The jury returned a guilty verdict for the production of a Class B drug on February 13. The remaining offences were left to lie on file. Nguyen was sentenced the same day to 18 months in prison. Photo: Sussex Police
8. Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in February 2026
A man has been jailed after he was found guilty of two counts of rape. Carlo Di Tella, 46, stood trial accused of the rapes. The court was told how Di Tella had targeted the woman. At Lewes Crown Court on January 16, Di Tella, of Bohemia Road, St Leonards, was sentenced to six years in prison for each count of rape, to run concurrently. The court also imposed a 10-year restraining order on Di Tella and he has been placed on the sex offenders register. Photo: Sussex Police