Brighton Magistrates' Court Sentencing Results

Explore 129 verdicts at Brighton Magistrates' Court (Brighton, Brighton). Updated with the latest court outcomes.

May 2012 1 case

Stephen Winter Gill

Benefits fraud *

Sentence

ten-month suspended prison sentence suspended for a year, 180 hours unpaid work, £1,980 costs, £80 victim surcharge

Stephen Winter Gill, 32, of Rotherfield Crescent, Hollingbury, falsely claimed £28,500 in housing benefit and £731 in council tax benefit by claiming to pay rent to his mother while running a lettings agency. The council found no evidence of rent being paid. During the investigation, he admitted setting up a tenancy agreement to claim the benefits.

Pleaded guilty to five counts of falsely claiming benefits. Running a lettings agency while claiming benefits. Admitted setting up a tenancy agreement to claim housing benefit.

8 May 2012

April 2012 1 case

Eddie Ottewell

Using threatening and aggressive behaviour and operating unlicensed debt collection agency *

Sentence

Fined £3,350

Eddie Ottewell, trading as B2B Collection Services, used threatening tactics including calling client Vicki Oliver at work and informing her employer of her debt, threatening to send bailiffs. Ms Oliver had defaulted on a short-term loan due to changed circumstances. Trading standards investigated and found the company unlicensed despite Ottewell being listed as director at Companies House, though he denied involvement. Similar tactics were previously warned about by Blaenau-Gwent Trading Standards.

Convicted of using threatening and aggressive behaviour; admitted running a debt collection agency without a licence. Fined £1,000 for aggressive tactics and £1,250 for unlicensed operation, plus £1,086 court costs and £15 victim surcharge.

14 Apr 2012

February 2011 1 case

William Johnston

Breach of noise abatement notices *

Sentence

Fined £225

William Johnston, of Woburn Place, Brighton, has been a persistently noisy neighbour for two and a half years, disturbing neighbours with loud singing, music, and shouting. He had previously been served noise abatement notices and had equipment including a computer, guitars, amplifier, hi-fi, and loudspeakers seized by council officers with Sussex Police assistance in October. He failed to comply with notices, leading to prior court appearances in September 2008 and May the previous year.

Ordered to pay £300 towards council’s legal costs and £15 victim surcharge. Issued a two-year noise ASBO until February 2013. Equipment to remain seized.

10 Feb 2011

November 2010 2 cases

Michael Graham

Breaching a noise abatement notice *

Sentence

Fined £500

Michael Graham, 31, and Carl Daly, 21, tenants at a property in St Martin’s Court, St Martin’s Street, Brighton, played music and raised voices until 3am on weekday nights, causing excessive noise that prevented their neighbour from hearing her television at maximum volume and made her bed vibrate due to heavy bass. The neighbour attempted direct contact, which was sometimes inaudible due to the noise, and on one occasion when requesting the music be turned down for her birthday, they became abusive. After complaints to the letting agent failed, the council's noise patrol assessed the situation, issued warnings and abatement notices, and ultimately seized equipment including an iPod, televisions, DVD player, speakers, and digital TV receivers under a warrant when the breaches continued.

Convicted of breaching a noise abatement notice. Ordered to pay £600 costs. Noise-making equipment forfeited.

1 Nov 2010

Carl Daly

Breaching a noise abatement notice *

Sentence

Fined £500

Convicted of breaching a noise abatement notice. Ordered to pay £600 costs. Noise-making equipment forfeited.

1 Nov 2010

October 2010 1 case

Kim Raymond

Fraud *

Sentence

12 month community order with a drug treatment and testing requirement

Kim Raymond, 29, of Hollingdean Terrace, knocked on doors around Brighton, especially East Brighton, pretending to be a mother in distress who had run out of electricity and had a baby at home. She asked for around £10 to charge her electricity meter, claiming she lived at a nearby address, with the key in her hand. These claims were false, but residents, many elderly, gave her cash believing she was genuine. The crimes exploited the goodwill of the public.

Pleaded guilty to 13 offences and asked for a further 18 offences to be taken into consideration. Ordered to pay £67 in compensation and £33 costs.

13 Oct 2010

November 2007 1 case

Simon Hornby

Theft *

Sentence

4 weeks in prison

Simon Hornby, 42, of New Steine, Brighton, stole a £500 mobile phone from the Carphone Warehouse shop in Churchill Square, Brighton, on Wednesday 7 November. He was seen by plain-clothed officers, followed to a second-hand phone shop where he tried to sell the stolen phone, and then arrested by uniformed officers from Sussex Police.

Caught red-handed by plain-clothed police officers. Sentenced after being brought before court.

8 Nov 2007

Date Not Specified 22 cases

Simon Potel

Blue Badge Misuse *

Sentence

Fined £1,130 (fines and costs)

Simon Potel, of Lock hill, Portslade, was caught fraudulently using a disabled blue badge.

Convicted in his absence of one charge of Blue Badge Misuse.

1 Jan 0001

Shaun Shirley

Burglary *

Sentence

3 years and 9 months imprisonment

Shaun Shirley committed a series of distraction burglaries in Brighton and Hove. On 26 April, he entered a flat in Rose Hill Terrace, Brighton, posing as a window cleaner and stole jewellery and cash. On 29 April, he targeted a home in Wilbury Road, Hove, pretending to erect scaffolding and stole a handbag containing cash. He targeted vulnerable residents.

30 previous convictions for 89 offences; described as 'prolific criminal' by police.

1 Jan 0001

Stacey Ransom

Littering *

Sentence

Fined £440 plus £450 costs and £44 victim surcharge

Stacey Ransom dropped cigarette litter in the street in Brighton & Hove during summer 2016, failed to pay a £75 fixed penalty notice issued at the time, and did not attend court. Found guilty in absence under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act.

Found guilty in absence after failing to appear at court and failing to pay £75 fixed penalty notice. First litter prosecutions under new enforcement contract.

1 Jan 0001

Muhammad Noorani

Littering *

Sentence

Fined £440 plus £450 costs and £44 victim surcharge

Muhammad Noorani dropped cigarette litter in the street in Brighton & Hove during summer 2016, failed to pay a £75 fixed penalty notice issued at the time, and did not attend court. Found guilty in absence under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act.

Found guilty in absence after failing to appear at court and failing to pay £75 fixed penalty notice. First litter prosecutions under new enforcement contract.

1 Jan 0001

Matthew Sullivan

Public order offence *

Sentence

55 hours unpaid work and £210 costs and Victim Surcharge

Matthew Sullivan verbally abused Sian, a stranger to him, on two separate occasions at businesses in Lewes Road, Brighton: on February 19, 2016 at Sainsbury's, and on November 25, 2015 at Shabitat.

Pleaded guilty. Sentence increased due to the transgender factor in his offending.

1 Jan 0001

Michael Conn

Littering *

Sentence

Fined £440 plus £450 costs and £44 victim surcharge

Michael Conn dropped cigarette litter in the street in Brighton & Hove during summer 2016, failed to pay a £75 fixed penalty notice issued at the time, and did not attend court. Found guilty in absence under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act.

Found guilty in absence after failing to appear at court and failing to pay £75 fixed penalty notice. First litter prosecutions under new enforcement contract.

1 Jan 0001

Lewis Garnie

Obstructing the public highway *

Sentence

Fined £1,760

Lewis Garnie, of Dolphin Road, Shoreham, employed by Amazon Access Solutions, erected scaffolding at Argus Lofts in Robert Street, Brighton, as part of building work on August 22, 2025, without written authorisation from Brighton and Hove City Council, thereby obstructing the public highway in breach of section 169 of the Highways Act 1980.

Found guilty in absence on May 18. Ordered to pay a victim services surcharge of £704 and costs of £225, bringing total to £2,689. Must pay full amount by June 15.

1 Jan 0001

Nathan Virgo

Dangerous driving *

Sentence

three months in prison

Nathan Virgo drove at excess speed in a Mercedes Sprinter van on the westbound carriageway of the A27 at Hangleton on August 9 last year. He attempted to undertake a BMW SUV at high speed, causing his vehicle to spin around to face the wrong way on the dual carriageway. The BMW was hit, flipped onto its side on the grass verge, trapping the driver with serious injuries. Virgo was arrested at the scene after testing positive for cannabis on a roadside DrugWipe test. A blood test showed 8.2 microgrammes of cannabis per litre of blood, exceeding the legal limit of 2 microgrammes.

Admitted dangerous driving, drug-driving and possession of cannabis. Disqualified from driving for 2 years and ordered to pay £128 victim surcharge and £85 costs.

1 Jan 0001

Philip Poole

Common assault and intentional harassment *

Sentence

12 month prison sentence suspended for 18 months with Rehabilitation Activity Requirement of up to 25 days, £45 costs, £115 Victim Surcharge, £40 fine

Philip Poole, 41, of Shirley Street, Hove, verbally abused a transgender woman before punching her and pulling her hair following an incident in St. James’s Street, Brighton at 00.30am on Saturday, February 11, 2017. Poole also admitted verbally abusing a police officer who responded to a call from a member of the public.

Pleaded guilty to common assault and intentional harassment, alarm and distress. Admitted verbally abusing a police officer.

1 Jan 0001

Rona Colvin

Shoplifting *

Sentence

14 weeks imprisonment

Rona Colvin, 40, of St Helen's Crescent, targeted Tesco, Marks and Spencer, Primark, and Trespass in Hastings between 23 December 2023 and 10 February 2024. She stole goods worth more than £1,000, including ski jackets and chocolate. On one occasion, she assaulted a shop manager who tried to stop her stealing. She was arrested and later charged with 11 counts of shoplifting and one count of assault. At Brighton Magistrates' Court on Monday 12 February 2024, she was sentenced to 14 weeks in custody.

Pleaded guilty to all offences. Had a previous criminal history in the area. Assaulted a shop manager who tried to prevent a theft.

1 Jan 0001

John Michael Hughes

Racially aggravated common assault *

Sentence

14 weeks in prison for racially aggravated common assault and 12 weeks for racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress, concurrent

On May 24, 2014, in George Street, Hove, Hughes approached an Asian taxi driver, made racist comments, and assaulted the driver. When police arrived, he resisted arrest and damaged the police car.

Prior convictions for racist behaviour towards another taxi driver and police officers PC Vince Lam and SC Elliott Abdo in August 2013. Criminal anti-social behaviour order imposed, barring use of racist or abusive language in public and travel in licensed taxis in Brighton and Hove.

1 Jan 0001

Karly Everson

Shoplifting *

Sentence

18 weeks imprisonment

Karly Everson committed 14 shoplifting incidents between 11 March and 15 April 2024, stealing more than £1000 worth of stock from various stores in Worthing, including Co-op, Tesco Express, B&M, and Superdrug. She was arrested and charged on 18 April 2024.

Pleaded guilty to 14 counts of shoplifting. Also given a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order preventing her from entering certain stores.

1 Jan 0001

Hayden Mainstone

Failure to comply with sex offender notification requirements *

Sentence

4 weeks imprisonment

Hayden Mainstone, 24, of no fixed address, failed to attend scheduled probation appointments on 8 and 13 May 2025, leading to the revocation of his community order. The order had been imposed for failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements. The court deemed his breaches a flagrant disregard for court orders and committed him to prison.

Community order revoked for failure to attend probation appointments. Court described breaches as 'flagrant disregard for court orders'.

1 Jan 0001

Jack Reeder

Driving offences including drug driving and assaulting a police officer *

Sentence

24 weeks' imprisonment, disqualified from driving for 18 months

While on licence serving a sentence for robbery at the Co-Op in Ham Road, Shoreham, on 10 May, Jack Reeder, 34, of Seafield Road, Hove, drove a vehicle that activated ANPR cameras and was pursued to Saltdean, where he decamped. He was located and detained with assistance from Police Dog Hox. He failed roadside tests for cocaine and cannabis, and assaulted an officer in custody.

Pleaded guilty to all offences. Sentence to run consecutively to existing 34 months' imprisonment for robbery.

1 Jan 0001

James Murphy

Unauthorised computer access with intent to commit other offences *

Sentence

12-month community order, 100 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £2008

James Murphy was the manager of The Roebuck Inn, Lewes Road, Laughton and The Barley Mow Inn, Starrs Barn. After being asked to leave in November 2022, he threatened to interfere with the till systems. On 2 December 2022 at around 2am, the till systems were remotely accessed and changes were made to food and drink prices, prices were removed, and attempts were made to alter the floor plans. The disruption forced the owner to bring in staff to fix the issues. Murphy was located at a pub in Tunbridge Wells, arrested in January 2023, and his devices contained evidence that he had logged in and made changes to the network.

Pleaded guilty to unauthorised computer access with intent to commit other offences and two counts of adapting an article intended to assist in commission of section 1 or 3 of the Computer Misuse offence.

1 Jan 0001

James Trodd

Fraud *

Sentence

20 weeks imprisonment suspended for 1 year

In August 2014, James Trodd conned two Vodafone stores in George Street, Hove, and Churchill Square, Brighton, and committed a breach of trust by using a relative to try to defraud Nationwide building society and the Vodafone shops.

1 Jan 0001

Jasmin Pierce

Obstructing the public highway *

Sentence

Fined £1,760

Jasmin Pierce, of Goring Road, Worthing, employed by Amazon Access Solutions, erected scaffolding at Argus Lofts in Robert Street, Brighton, as part of building work on August 22, 2025, without written authorisation from Brighton and Hove City Council, thereby obstructing the public highway in breach of section 169 of the Highways Act 1980.

Found guilty in absence on May 18. Ordered to pay a victim services surcharge of £704 and costs of £225, bringing total to £2,689. Must pay full amount by June 15.

1 Jan 0001

Ben Thomas

Assault by beating *

Sentence

Fined £200 and ordered to pay £650 compensation

PC Ben Thomas, aged 37, was refused entry to Molly Malone’s pub in Brighton and assaulted the doorman. He appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on June 4 and was found guilty of assault by beating, resulting in a £200 fine and £650 compensation order to the victim.

Found guilty of assault by beating after contesting entry to a pub; appeal dismissed.

1 Jan 0001

Alexander Oldfield

Shoplifting *

Sentence

18 weeks' imprisonment

Alexander Oldfield, 23, of no fixed address, committed three shoplifting offences. On 3 January 2024, he entered Asda, Pegler Way, Crawley and stole two bottles of alcohol worth more than £70. On 13 January 2024, he stole a number of t-shirts from Blacks in Crawley town centre. On 15 March 2024, he stole food items worth more than £70 from Lidl, Leylands Road, Burgess Hill. He was charged with three counts of shoplifting on 15 March.

Pleaded guilty to three counts of shoplifting. Also given a three-year criminal behaviour order preventing entry to certain stores and requiring him to leave any retail establishment if asked.

1 Jan 0001

Alan Docherty

Blue Badge Misuse *

Sentence

Fined £980 (fines and costs)

Alan Docherty, of Ambleside Avenue, Telscombe Cliffs, was caught fraudulently using a disabled blue badge.

Pleaded guilty to one count of Blue Badge Misuse.

1 Jan 0001

Clive Buckley

Blue Badge Misuse *

Sentence

Fined £1,020 (fines and costs)

Clive Buckley, of Chesham Road, used his deceased father’s blue badge to avoid parking fees.

Pleaded guilty to two counts of Blue Badge Misuse and two counts of making a false statement in appeals against a Parking Contravention Notice.

1 Jan 0001

Charles Brazil

Flytipping *

Sentence

2 year prison sentence suspended for 2 years, Drug Rehabilitation Requirement for 3 months, 50 hours unpaid work, ordered to pay £750 legal costs, £500 for clearing rubbish and £115 victim surcharge

Charles Brazil dumped piles of rubbish including laminate flooring, chipboard underlay and black sacks of waste near the Lewes Road rail viaduct in Brighton last April. He had charged a customer to dispose of the materials legally but instead flytipped them. Packaging bearing his name was found among the rubbish.

Pleaded guilty. Failed to appear on July 19 and was arrested on August 2. Ordered to remove caravan from site.

1 Jan 0001

Disclaimer: The information on this page is compiled from publicly available court records and published media reports. It is provided strictly for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as a definitive record of any individual's criminal history or legal status.

Offence names marked with an asterisk (*) reflect descriptions used in media reporting and may not correspond to the formal legal charge or indictment. Sentencing details are as reported and may be subject to subsequent appeal, variation, or correction by the courts.

All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The presence of a name on this page does not imply guilt, and some listed individuals may have had convictions overturned, sentences reduced, or charges withdrawn after the date of publication.

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Magistrates Court

Edward Street, Brighton, Brighton, BN2 0LG, United Kingdom

+441273670888

www.find-court-tribunal.service.gov.uk

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About Brighton Magistrates' Court

Brighton Magistrates' Court, located in Brighton, Brighton, is a Magistrates' Court that deals with summary offences, some either-way offences, and preliminary hearings for more serious cases. With 129 sentencing records in our database, it serves the Brighton, Brighton area and surrounding communities. Magistrates' Courts handle the majority of criminal cases in England and Wales, with cases heard by a bench of magistrates or a district judge.

The court can be found at Edward Street, BN2 0LG.

For enquiries about cases heard at this court, you can contact the court by telephone on +441273670888 or visit the official court website for further information.

All sentencing information published on this page has been sourced from publicly-available records and verified by our editorial team. If you believe any information is inaccurate or should be removed, you can submit a removal request directly from the relevant listing above.