Basildon Crown Court Sentencing Results

Hannah Sindrey, 24, stabbed Paul Fletcher, 31, to death at her flat in Worcester Drive, Rayleigh, Essex, in the early hours of January 1, 2021, during a New Year’s Eve party. The incident occurred after Mr. Fletcher, under the influence of cocaine and paranoid about infidelity, took Sindrey’s phone and one belonging to her friend. Six children were present in the flat at the time, including Sindrey’s two children and her friend’s four children.

Keith Banks, while awaiting deportation from Australia and held in a detention centre, used an email account in September 2019 to arrange a meeting with a child in Essex for sexual abuse purposes. He had previously served a sentence for child sex offences and was on the Sex Offenders’ Register with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. In November 2019, he travelled from Bow to Rayleigh to meet the child but was arrested by officers from the Police Online Investigation Team. At no point was a child in danger of being abused.

Alan Chima, a 39-year-old bus driver from Leyton, east London, was found in possession of 38 extreme images depicting women with animals, including dogs, horses, and chickens, as well as a half-hour long video on his laptop. He was detained by police, broke down in tears, and admitted to the possession, stating he derived sexual gratification from the images but believed it was not illegal. His lawyer referenced a 2012 case involving an art gallery to argue that even respectable institutions were unsure about the legality of similar content.

Harry Sharp and accomplices broke into a home in Langleys, Basildon, on June 28, 2015. They were armed with a lock knife, forced their way in while the victims were playing computer games, threatened the two teenagers with the knife, punched them several times, tied them up with rope and tape over their eyes, and ransacked the house, stealing jewellery, a games console, and a tablet computer before fleeing. The victims freed themselves and called the police.

Ashley Russell, along with Christina Storey, threw a corrosive fluid at Darren Pidgeon through his car window around 11.20pm on June 3, 2014, in Essex, causing third-degree burns to his face and back. The victim was trapped in a cul-de-sac when the attack occurred, requiring extensive skin grafts and hospitalisation for nearly four weeks.

Christina Storey, along with Ashley Russell, threw a corrosive fluid at Darren Pidgeon through his car window around 11.20pm on June 3, 2014, in Essex, causing third-degree burns to his face and back. The victim was trapped in a cul-de-sac when the attack occurred, requiring extensive skin grafts and hospitalisation for nearly four weeks.