These are some of the most serious, high profile and prolific offenders who were jailed in the first month of 2025.
All information comes directly from Sussex Police.
5. Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in January 2025
A London man who raped a vulnerable woman on Brighton beach has been jailed. Ali Mozaffari, 37, of Golders Green Road, Golders Green, was witnessed by raping a woman on the beach, to the west of Brighton Palace Pier, at around 5.40am on September 10, 2023. Members of the public called 999 and officers responded immediately, catching Mozafarri in the process of attacking the woman. He was arrested at the scene, but pretended to fall unconscious and had to be taken to a police vehicle and into custody. His collapse was swiftly proven to be simulated. The victim was taken to a place of safety and supported by specialist officers while an investigation was launched. Mozaffari was subsequently charged with rape and remanded in custody. He pleaded guilty at Lewes Crown Court on February 2, 2024. He appeared again at Lewes Crown Court on January 22, where he was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison. Photo: Sussex Police
6. Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in January 2025
Following three deliberate fires at locations across Brighton, a man and a woman have been sentenced. Two further individuals are also due to be sentenced next month for their involvement in one of the offences. At approximately 9.10pm on September 24, 2023, a Range Rover was set alight outside a property in Downsway, Woodingdean. Emergency services attended the scene, where the front end of the vehicle was found engulfed in flames. The following evening, at around 10pm on September 25, a second fire was reported in Down Terrace, Brighton. A large blaze had been started outside the property, quickly spreading into the building. A woman, along with her dog, became trapped inside the property, but managed to escape through an upstairs window and onto the roof before the fire completely engulfed her home. While emergency services were responding to the fire in Down Terrace, at around 10.25pm, East Sussex Fire and Rescue were called to an address in Norwich Crescent, Brighton, where a fire had been discovered outside another property. The blaze caused damage to a window frame, but it was quickly extinguished before further harm could occur. Accelerants were found to have been used in all three incidents, prompting a full investigation to identify those responsible. Through a series of detailed enquiries, four suspects were identified: Callum Radband, 26, of Curf Way, Burgess Hill; Elle-Mai Dunford, 21, of Grove Road, Eastbourne; Marcus Murphy, 28, of Cantelupe Road, Bexhill-on-Sea; Bronnie Richards, 26, of Cantelupe Road, Bexhill-on-Sea. Murphy and Richards were arrested on October 2, 2023, and released on conditional bail to allow for further enquiries to take place. On October 5, 2023, Radband was arrested. Due to a breach of licence conditions for an unrelated matter, he was recalled to prison. Dunford was arrested on October 13, 2023, and charged the following day with two counts of arson with intent to endanger life, along with one count of arson. She was initially remanded in custody, but later released Photo: Sussex Police
7. Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in January 2025
A man has been jailed after being found guilty of blackmail following an investigation into county lines drug dealing. James Sunderland, 56, previously of Merrimede Close, St Leonards, had denied the charge but was found guilty following a trial at Brighton Crown Court on January 10 and sentenced to six years in prison. The court was told that throughout 2023 Sussex police detectives had been investigating the ‘Pattern Gang’ County drug line where there have been multiple warrants executed in East Sussex following the line holders for the drug lines being identified. Following enquiries, a woman reported to police that a member of her family had been forced to supply drugs for this drug gang in order to clear a drug debt. She had noticed that man would call at her home and hang around outside. This man had been identified as James Sunderland. The woman started giving large sums of money to the family member to pay off their drug debt as they felt threatened and under pressure. It later transpired that the money was being paid to a man called ‘Jay Jay’ who it was established was James Sunderland. The woman felt so threatened by Sunderland, she installed CCTV cameras outside her home and keep fire extinguishers by the door as she feared her house maybe burned down by Sunderland and his associates. She was forced to take out loans and borrow money from family members to pay the debt off so that she and her family did not come to any physical harm. As well as paying Sunderland through a ‘payment plan’, Sunderland demanded cash on several occasions. The victim accompanied the family member to meet Sunderland in Battle to pay him and he threatened her family member and told the individual to get into the boot of his car. She told Sunderland she would report him to the police and he then threatened her telling her he would throw acid in her face and she would never see her family member again. The woman’s family member was also assaulted in the face on another occasion when Sunderland was allegedly Photo: Sussex Police
8. Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in January 2025
A lorry driver who was nearly five times the legal alcohol limit on the M23 has been sentenced. Dainius Juodis drove the heavy goods vehicle on the A23 south of Crawley. He initially failed to stop for officers who had activated blue lights. After four miles he eventually stopped in the live lane of the M23, where he was arrested. He had previously consumed half a bottle of vodka. Drink and drug-driving remains one of the main reasons why people are killed or seriously injured on our roads. Juodis, 50, formerly of Grafton Road, Worcester Park, Surrey, was charged with driving over the legal alcohol limit. At Crawley Magistrates’ Court on January 13 he admitted the charge, and was jailed for three months. He was further disqualified from driving for five years. The court was told that Juodis had similar previous convictions for drink driving. The incident happened at about 1am on January 11. Officers from the Tactical Firearms Unit (TFU) were on a routine patrol when they noticed the lorry swerving on the carriageway north of Pease Pottage. Juodis failed to stop for the officers for nearly four miles until eventually stopping in a live lane on the M23 motorway. At the roadside, he gave a positive breath test, and then later gave an even higher reading when taken to custody. The legal alcohol limit is 35 microgrammes (uhg) of alcohol per 100 millilitres (ml) of breath. In custody, Juodis tested positive for 172uhg of alcohol per 100ml of breath. Photo: Sussex Police