Exeter Crown Court Sentencing Results

Lee Powell was seen receiving oral sex and being masturbated by a woman near Plainmoor outside Torquay United's stadium in Marnham Road. Members of the public leaving the football ground called police due to concerns children might be in the area. The incident lasted about five minutes. He was charged with outraging public decency and pleaded guilty.

James Defalco, 65, carried out paid painting and decorating work for a couple in south Devon over nine months without informing his offender manager or telling them about his convictions. The couple invited him to spend Christmas Day with their family, including two young grandchildren, unaware that he was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order restricting his contact with children and his work. He admitted two breaches of the order.

Daniel Mansford admitted five offences of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged under 16. The offences took place over a six-month period when the victim was 14 years old. He was aware of her age from the outset but continued to groom her, including on social media. The offences came to light when the victim confided in a teacher. Mansford was arrested and made no comment during interview; police obtained screenshots of messages showing sexualised content he had sent to the victim.

Adam Gardiner, an Essex Police officer, was on duty, outside his force's area and in an unmarked vehicle, when he failed to stop for police and was involved in a single-vehicle collision that damaged road barriers. He was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, driving while over the prescribed limit for alcohol, and failing to stop. He was charged by Devon and Cornwall Police and admitted the offences.

On 28 October 2025, near the bridge on Torbay Road, Daniel Meredith threw the victim over the railings of an elevated walkway. The victim fell 12 to 15 feet headfirst onto the carriageway below, suffering a broken spine, two broken shoulders, six broken ribs and significant bruising. Dash-cam footage from a passing vehicle captured the victim landing on the road and narrowly avoiding being struck by an oncoming car. Meredith left the Devon and Cornwall Police force area after the attack but was located by officers and returned to face justice.

Phoenix Sandy, 19, of no fixed abode in Exmouth, admitted an incident of grievous bodily harm with intent. Police said he had brought violent and disruptive criminality into the town and had been involved in a number of anti-social behaviour and violence offences around Exmouth.

Guy Pottle was standing on the outside of railings on the first floor of a building in Drake Road, Newton Abbot, in the early hours of February 10, 2026. A newly qualified female police officer grabbed his arm to save him from jumping, but he smashed a glass bottle into the side of her head, causing temporary blindness in her right eye. He then clambered over the railings, grabbed the officer by the legs and hoisted her horizontally over the metal barrier. She feared she was going to die but struggled back onto the balcony, where he repeatedly punched her in the face and head. She used incapacitant spray before he leapt over the balcony to the ground and was arrested. The officer has suffered potential PTSD, flashbacks and nightmares.

Jake Franklin engaged in a campaign of controlling and coercive behaviour against his ex-partner between 2022 and 2025. He regularly accused her of cheating, started arguments, threatened violence, checked her phone, and grabbed and pushed her. After the relationship ended, he made threatening phone calls, vowing payback if she did not give him a key to their former shared home. Recordings captured him threatening to glue locks, smash car windows, slash tyres, hurt her family, and ruin her life. He said she deserved to die alone and would face 'devastation'.

Between December 9 2025 and January 6 2026, Eddie Howard engaged in online communications with someone he believed was a 14-year-old boy using a friendship app and then WhatsApp, turning the conversation sexual and sending inappropriate messages including a video of a male performing a sex act. He arranged to meet the person at Exeter Quay on January 7 2026 but was met by members of a paedophile hunter group who called police, leading to his arrest. Howard admitted breaching his Sex Offenders’ Register notification requirements.

On October 18, 2025, George Powell attacked a man he knew with a baton at a caravan park on Grange Road, Paignton, Devon, while also in possession of a knife, causing a serious head injury feared to be life-threatening at the time. Both had travelled to Paignton from outside the force area. Powell left the scene and was arrested in Coventry.

Livvy Edney, a former prison officer, engaged in an inappropriate personal relationship with a prisoner while employed at HMP Channings Wood in Devon. She made contact with the inmate outside working hours and attempted to hide the contact through aliases and multiple pay-as-you-go mobile phones. She continued the contact after the prisoner was transferred to another prison in Dorset. Items recovered from her address showed she knowingly disguised herself using false identities and carefully coordinated the times of contact.

Miles Goninon, 29, from the Winkleigh area of Devon, targeted vulnerable young girls online through Snapchat, gaining their trust before inciting them into sharing degrading sexual content and carrying out self-harm. He was found in possession of thousands of indecent images and videos of children spanning all three categories, operated multiple Snapchat accounts pretending to be teenagers, and distributed child abuse material to others. Goninon was found in possession of hundreds of indecent videos and images of victims that he had requested and filmed virtually himself. Some victims were identified from their Snapchat usernames and placed around the world. The offending came to light when police received intelligence in June 2024, traced the account to his home, executed a warrant, seized devices, and arrested him.

Michael Elmer, a 36-year-old former PC with Avon and Somerset Police, was arrested in May 2025 after the force's online Child Abuse Team received information. He admitted to making and distributing indecent images of children, including three counts of making an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child, one count of distributing an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child, and one count of sharing a photograph or film of a person in an intimate state for the purpose of sexual gratification. Images were doctored using AI. A victim impact statement described the trauma, distress, sadness, disgust, and humiliation caused by the sharing of a privately shared image, expressing fear of its further possession and use.

James Mortiboy, aged 73, of Lang Way, Ipplepen, downloaded more than one million images of child abuse over a 25-year period from 1998 to 2025, including babies and young children, mostly boys aged between seven and 10, being sexually assaulted by adults. The images, covering all categories of seriousness and including rape of very young children, were downloaded from the dark web. He was a Scout leader for much of that time. Police found the images on multiple devices after a tip-off from the National Crime Agency regarding suspicious activity on the Bing search engine. He was arrested in 2025. No evidence of contact offences.

Stephen Pennington, a 38-year-old sex offender convicted of raping a child under 13 in 2009, deliberately ignored court orders by moving from Blackburn, Lancashire to Bideford, Devon without notifying authorities in September 2025. He started a friendship with a young mum and downloaded Snapchat, which was prohibited. He refused to provide his phone PIN and account details. Police arrested him after examining his phone.

Stephen Clark, a 73-year-old retired South West Water worker from Luscombe Terrace, Dawlish, admitted inciting a seven-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity not involving penetration in March 2024 by communicating with an adult posing as the child's parent named Dirty Bernadette. He also downloaded 411 indecent photos of children, including 147 of the most serious kind involving children as young as two, attempted to engage in sexual communication with a 14-year-old girl, and distributed 21 indecent images. Offending began in 2014 following retirement, leading to loss of marriage and family.

Ethan Fenwick, a student, stalked two members of staff at the college he attended. He catalogued more than 1,000 covert images of students and staff, produced deep fake sexual images, and created AI chat versions of his victims. He made unwanted advances to a staff member, including asking her to prom and on a date, and later sent Instagram friend requests from accounts with biographies threatening kidnapping and sexual assault. He was warned not to make contact but continued his behaviour. Police found covert images and videos, including collages placing a victim's head next to pornography. He attempted to cover his tracks with fake social media accounts and false persona email addresses.

Damien Weston, a 43-year-old builder from Newton Abbot and dad-of-three, hid a knife up his sleeve and confronted the victim outside his home in Sandringham Road, Newton Abbot, one day in February 2025. Weston made comments about the victim's relationship with his wife before lunging and stabbing him in the neck. The victim thought he had been punched but realised he had been stabbed when he felt the blood and told a man he was with that he thought he was going to die. Weston tried to stop the men calling for an ambulance, snatching one phone from the other man at the scene. The victim was taken to hospital where the knife narrowly missed a major blood artery in his neck. Weston gave himself up to police a week later claiming self-defence and that he had punched the victim without seeing the knife.

On an evening in March 2025, Penny Ansell drove erratically in her black Skoda with lights off, swerving across the road at around 20mph on a 60mph road near Willand. She collided with a bollard, struck the kerb and hedgerow, and drove onto the opposite side of the road, forcing other drivers and a bus to swerve. A following driver contacted police and approached her at her home in Somerlea, Willand, where she was heard chuckling to herself. Police found a bottle of vodka in the vehicle. She was arrested and blew 117mg of alcohol in her breath, over three times the legal limit of 35mg.

Richard Panniers, 45, from Totnes, contacted an 11-year-old girl in the United States through the gaming app Rec Room. He incited her to perform degrading sexual acts, including bestiality and activity with a younger sibling, while watching online from his flat. He referred to himself as 'Master' and 'Daddy' and expressed intent to rape her. Devices seized on 7 May 2025 contained a large collection of child sexual abuse material accumulated over years. Investigation involved Devon and Cornwall Police's Paedophile Online Investigation Team and collaboration with US Homeland Security to identify and safeguard victims.

Benjamin Holtom, 44, of Braddons Hill Road East, Torquay, launched a ferocious machete attack on an unknown victim in Castle Road, Torquay, in the early hours of February 5, 2025. The victim was out with friends when Holtom exited a car, threatened to kill him, and struck him multiple times on the head with a large blade, as captured on CCTV. The victim suffered three large knife wounds to his head and multiple bruises, and still has nightmares about being 'chopped up'. The attack may have been related to an attempted cannabis purchase. Holtom was identified via CCTV.

Kieran McColl, 22, of Hele Road, Torquay, was driving a Vauxhall Corsa with two young female passengers on St Marychurch Road, Newton Abbot, one evening in October 2024. Despite their pleas to slow down, he accelerated to nearly 100mph on a 60mph rural road, turned up the radio, overtook a learner driver, and crashed into an oncoming car. Both vehicles overturned, and the other driver, a 60-year-old care worker, required hospital treatment. McColl initially blamed another person but admitted the offences.

Joseph Bowden and Seamus Shannon, after drinking alcohol, went to the victim's home on Tor Hill Road on May 11, 2025. The victim, a 5ft 4in man wearing glasses and a leg brace from a previous car accident, let them in. Bowden, appearing paranoid and convinced people were talking behind his back, accused the victim of lying and launched an unprovoked attack. He pinned the victim to the sofa, held a large kitchen knife to his throat, threatened to kill him, punched him in the face, kicked him in the ribs while on the ground, and sliced his head with the knife, causing blood to spurt. The flat was left covered in blood, and the victim required hospital treatment for a head wound. They fled but were arrested that evening, with DNA from a vape left at the scene matching theirs. Bowden is from Dorchester Road, Torquay.

Joseph Bowden and Seamus Shannon, after drinking alcohol, went to the victim's home on Tor Hill Road on May 11, 2025. The victim, a 5ft 4in man wearing glasses and a leg brace from a previous car accident, let them in. Bowden started an argument, but Shannon participated by headbutting the victim and holding him by the throat while Bowden used a large kitchen knife from a drawer to threaten and wound him. The attack involved punching, kicking, and slicing the victim's head, leaving the flat covered in blood. The victim required hospital treatment. They fled but were arrested that evening, with DNA from a vape left at the scene matching theirs. Shannon is from Barton Road.

Danny Hawkins, 33, from Barnstaple, committed a stealing spree between May and September 2025, targeting multiple shops and bars including Boots, Betfred, Outcasts charity shop, Tesco, Saltrock, B&M, The Watergate pub, McDonald's, Go Outdoors, and Queen Anne's Cafe. He stole cash, clothes, charity boxes, fragrances, Lego boxes worth £1,235, North Face and Berghaus jackets, a bicycle, and a mobile phone. He also caused criminal damage to Queen Anne's Cafe and was found in possession of a Stanley-type lock knife upon arrest. Several premises banned him due to his nuisance behaviour. The rampage began in May with looting from a shed and stealing from a charity shop. In June, he stole from Boots and was arrested. While on bail, he damaged the cafe in August and stole charity boxes from various premises. In September, he stole from B&M and Go Outdoors, and the bicycle from Barbican Road.

In October 2023, Toby Carter, 23, of Babbacombe Road, Torquay, was driving a VW Golf downhill on the A380 Hamelin Way towards Kerswell Gardens when he drove erratically, aggressively tailgating another vehicle and attempting to undertake, only to realise there was another car in that lane. He swerved to avoid collision, lost control, veered violently from lane one into lane two, crashed over the central reservation at speed, barrel-rolled onto the opposite side of the carriageway, and collided with an oncoming vehicle driven by the victim, 40, who suffered catastrophic injuries and died at the scene. Carter and his front-seat passenger suffered minor injuries; the victim's passenger also sustained minor injuries.

Kenechukwu Oduah, a carer from Parkers Road, Starcross, had an affair with a woman that lasted several months. When the relationship ended, he reacted badly and demanded £1,250, threatening to send intimate photos to her partner unless she paid. The victim initially believed it was a bluff as she had not consented to the photos, but after he provided proof, she sent the money. Oduah initially returned it, apologizing, but then demanded double the amount. After receiving £2,500, he sent over 60 intimate photos, taken without permission, to her partner. His threatening messages included warnings about his 'network' and making it 'messy'. The victim suffered severe anxiety as a result. Oduah made no comment when arrested but pleaded guilty at court.

Ellis Mace, aged 27, engaged in penetrative sexual activity with a child on more than one occasion. The offences involved consensual sexual intercourse but with a significant age disparity between Mace and the victim. He was arrested in 2024 and admitted the offences. The defendant, formerly of Bideford and now of Clive Road, Oxford, was described as a hard-working man who regrets his behaviour and takes full responsibility.