Basildon Crown Court Sentencing Results

Callum Vere, 23, of Basildon, possessed 2,156 Category A indecent images of children, including images of children as young as one year old who were wholly incapacitated, along with 2,199 Category B images, 5,190 Category C images, 58 prohibited images of children, and 66 images of bestiality involving dogs. These offences were aggravated by his prior convictions, the vulnerability of the children depicted, and his involvement with others for sharing images. The images were found on undeclared mobile phones while he was under a previous suspended sentence for making and distributing indecent images and sexually abusing his pet dog. The crimes occurred between his previous prosecution in 2022 and early 2024.

David Kidd, formerly of Appleford Court, pleaded guilty in 2023 to two charges of sexually abusing a girl under 13 and three charges of making indecent images of children. The abuse involved a young victim whose parents described it as every parent’s worst nightmare, stating their daughter would never be the same again. Kidd was arrested and sentenced for these offences, which caused significant harm to the victim.

Luke Casson, 35, of Shoeburyness, was on remand for stabbing a former acquaintance in the neck while intoxicated by drink and drugs. On May 17, he punched a female prison duty governor at HMP Chelmsford in the head, causing a laceration requiring 10 stitches, dislodging two teeth, and leaving her permanently scarred. The attack was pre-planned as revenge for her speaking to staff and refusing his request to leave segregation. He was already in segregation for strangling another inmate.

Shannon Weston drove Muhammad Khan and Brandon Lutchmunsing away from Lakeside Shopping Centre in Thurrock, Essex, immediately after the stabbing of the victim on April 28, 2022, and assisted them in evading police between April 28 and May 4, 2022, by providing transport and support.

Lucas Braga took part in violent disorder on Southend seafront on July 30, involving a group of youths who brandished machetes and fought, resulting in serious injuries to at least two individuals. Police responded quickly and made arrests based on evidence gathered.

Michael King participated in violent disorder on Southend seafront on July 30, where a group of men and boys gathered in side streets before engaging in a fight with weapons, resulting in at least two serious injuries. Police made arrests based on CCTV evidence and further investigations.

Mekai Brown was part of a group involved in violent disorder on Southend seafront on July 30, where individuals brandishing machetes clashed, causing serious injuries to at least two people. The incident involved gathering in side streets and was captured on CCTV, leading to arrests.

Isaac Bello was involved in violent disorder on Southend seafront on July 30, where a group assembled in side streets and engaged in a fight with weapons, leaving at least two people with serious injuries. The event was monitored via CCTV, and arrests followed.

Tyler Omo-Irogho was involved in violent disorder on Southend seafront on July 30, where a group of youths, some brandishing machetes, gathered and fought, leaving at least two people with serious injuries requiring hospital treatment. He was arrested along with others after police responded to reports of people with weapons.

Marcus Decker, a private tutor with no fixed address, scaled the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge on the Dartford Crossing in October 2022 with Morgan Trowland. Using ropes and climbing gear, they reached a height of nearly 200 feet, unfurled a Just Stop Oil banner, and set up hammocks, causing the bridge to close for over 24 hours from October 17 to October 18, 2022. This resulted in major traffic gridlock, affecting individuals such as a heavily pregnant woman requiring urgent medical assistance, someone missing a funeral, and a business incurring losses exceeding £160,000. The protest was related to climate change activism.

Morgan Trowland, a structural engineer from Islington, north London, scaled the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge on the Dartford Crossing in October 2022 with Marcus Decker. Using ropes and climbing gear, they reached a height of nearly 200 feet, unfurled a Just Stop Oil banner, and set up hammocks, causing the bridge to close for over 24 hours from October 17 to October 18, 2022. This led to significant traffic disruptions, including a heavily pregnant woman needing urgent medical help, a person missing a funeral, and a business losing over £160,000 in earnings. The action was part of a protest against climate change.

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.

Ashley Russell, along with Christina Storey, threw a corrosive fluid at the victim 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 the victim 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.

Daniel Hadley pleaded guilty to four fly-tipping offences committed between November 2024 and July 2025. Large amounts of waste were dumped at rural and public locations across Brentwood, causing environmental damage and costs for local taxpayers. One incident involved waste being deliberately set alight, requiring attendance by the fire service.

Anthony Grimes, 64, from Galleywood, and Paul Jones ran a large-scale counterfeit currency operation at a rented industrial unit on Cranfield Park Road, Wickford, Essex. Discovered on 9 April 2024, the set-up produced fake Bank of England polymer £20 notes potentially worth up to £2.7 million using industrial printing machines, drying equipment, foil application materials, cutting machinery, printing dyes, and scanners with original notes.

An Uber driver ran over and killed a customer who had been sick in his car. The victim, a 28-year-old man, got out of the car and tried to wipe down the seat when the driver, described by the judge as the aggressor, hit him outside his home in Basildon, Essex. The victim died on October 4, 2025 from a severe brain injury. The driver was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.

On 30 July 2024, Hamza Dinbil was part of a group of teenagers who gathered in side streets in Southend city centre before moving to the seafront armed with knives and guns. The disorder left at least two people with serious injuries requiring hospital treatment. He pleaded guilty to violent disorder and possession of a bladed article in a public place.

Paul Jones, 50, of Camberwell, London, and Anthony Grimes ran a large-scale counterfeit currency operation at a rented industrial unit on Cranfield Park Road, Wickford, Essex. Discovered on 9 April 2024, the set-up produced fake Bank of England polymer £20 notes potentially worth up to £2.7 million using industrial printing machines, drying equipment, foil application materials, cutting machinery, printing dyes, and scanners with original notes.

Samuel Tobin was found with around 10,000 pictures and 444 videos on his phone, mostly showing women’s and girls’ feet. The images breached a sexual risk order banning him from taking pictures of people’s feet without consent. Many of the images showed girls in school uniform. One image, showing a woman sunbathing in the privacy of a back garden, was dealt with as voyeurism. Police discovered the files during a spot check at his home after he grabbed his phone when an officer entered; the pictures and videos were found in the phone’s deleted folder. He had previously breached the order twice and received community orders for those breaches.

In November prior to sentencing, Sharon Small extorted £100 from a man by threatening to spread a rumour that he was gay. She also threatened to stab him in the neck if he did not pay. After the victim handed over the cash, Small returned days later demanding more money and threatened to punch him. He reported the matter to Essex Police. Small pleaded guilty to one charge of blackmail. She had 68 previous convictions, including a 21-month prison term in 2022 for possessing a bladed article and making threats. Small blamed the blackmail on her severe alcohol addiction.