These are some of the most serious, high profile and prolific offenders who were jailed in the first month of 2026.
All information comes directly from Sussex Police.
5. Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in January 2026
A man from Worthing has been jailed for two years and four months after being convicted of possessing child abuse material and carrying out a sustained campaign of online deception and abuse against young women and teenage girls. Charles Wood, 34, was sentenced on January 13 at Lewes Crown Court after pleading guilty to a series of offences including possession of child abuse material and sharing images without consent. Wood was found to be in possession of 30 images of child abuse material, spanning categories A, B and C, and possessing an extreme pornographic image. The court heard that Wood went to extreme lengths to deceive and exploit his victims. He created a fictitious online persona, posing as a teenage girl named ‘Riley’. Using this persona, Wood amassed a substantial following on social media platforms including TikTok and Instagram, as well as dating sites. To further the deception, he used a voice changing application to impersonate a young female voice, the audio then being used to communicate with his victims. The voice-changer videos were played in court. Judge Van Der Zwart described these videos as chilling, in the degree to which they were able to convey to the victims that they were communicating with a female. Before sentencing, the judge told Wood he presented a high risk of harm to children and women and girls, using either his real persona or false ones. While posing as Riley, Wood formed online relationships with teenage girls and young women. He sent sexually explicit images and videos, and pressured victims to do the same. Some of the images he obtained were later shared with other predatory men online. Enquiries to identify those individuals remain ongoing. Wood also targeted vulnerable teenage girls he knew to be selling content online. By posing as ‘Riley’, he directed these girls to himself, enabling him to obtain further sexual images without payment. As part of his offending, Wood sent messages and images falsely claiming that ‘Riley’ was self-harming and Photo: Sussex Police
6. Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in January 2026
A man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison following a serious assault in Walberton, Arun. The offence took place on June 27, when officers were called shortly after 7.15pm to reports that a 32-year-old woman had been seriously injured with a knife in Eastergate Lane. The victim was taken to hospital for treatment for serious injuries. She has since made a full recovery. Melis Abzhaliev, 38, from Walberton, was arrested following the incident and later charged with attempted murder. He appeared before Lewes Crown Court on December 15, where he pleaded guilty to attempted murder. On January 14, Abzhaliev was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court to 12 years in jail. Photo: Sussex Police
7. Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in January 2026
A Crowborough man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after being convicted of multiple serious child sexual offences. The offences include producing and possessing child abuse material, inciting a child under thirteen to engage in sexual activity, and arranging the commission of a child sex offence. Ray Lombard, 46, of Croft Road in Crowborough, was identified by police after accessing child abuse images online. Investigators found he had livestreamed child abuse, arranged acts of child sexual abuse at his request, paid perpetrators, and discussed paedophilia and online child exploitation. During the investigation, Lombard was found in possession of extreme pornographic images and more than 5,000 child abuse images classified as categories A and B stored on multiple devices seized from Lombard. He established online connections with other distributors of child abuse material and targeted vulnerable women, while investigators also found screen recordings documenting live streamed sexual abuse of children. He admitted to paying a vulnerable woman in Ukraine to produce child sexual abuse material involving her daughter under the age of five. Lombard was arrested on March 19, 2024 and charged at Eastbourne Custody Centre on March 12, 2025 with three counts of making indecent images of children, eight counts of arranging and facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, causing to incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, including penetration, and possessing extreme pornographic images. He appeared at Lewes crown court on October 31, 2025, where he pleaded guilty to all charges. On January 15, at Lewes Crown Court, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison. The administration of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order will be considered at a future date, and the court ordered the destruction of all his devices. Photo: Sussex Police
8. Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in January 2026
A dangerous offender who threatened to ignite a gas cylinder in a property during a police stand-off has been sentenced. Reece Hodges occupied the roof and garage of a property in Arun Road, Bognor, causing a significant emergency service response. Police negotiators were required and neighbouring homes were evacuated during a 12-hour stand-off. During that time, the 29-year-old threatened to ignite a propane gas cylinder. But courageous officers from the Tactical Enforcement Unit safely arrested him before he could cause serious harm to himself, officers and the public, and brought the incident to an end. After a trial at Lewes Crown Court, Hodges was found guilty of attempted arson, and of intentional or reckless public nuisance. Hodges, of Arun Road, Bognor, appeared for sentence at the same court on January 23, where he was jailed for six years. The court also imposed an extended sentence for dangerousness, adding a further five years to his licence period. This means Hodges will not be automatically released half way through serving his sentence, but must serve two thirds of the sentence before he can be considered for parole. The additional five year licence extension means if released on parole, Hodges would still be liable to be recalled to serve the remainder of his jail term for up to five years, making a total sentence of 11 years. The court was told how the incident happened on September 20, 2024 when Hodges was on the roof of a property, making threats to set it on fire. When officers for the Tactical Enforcement Unit were called in, they entered a garage full of obstacles, where Hodges was seen holding a lighter and gas cylinders. They feared he had also covered the floor and himself in either petrol or an accelerant, and officers took a critical decision to safely detain Hodges before he could ignite the gas cylinders or any accelerant. Photo: Sussex Police