Exeter Crown Court Sentencing Results

In October 2023, Toby Carter, 23, of 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.

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.

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 Oxford, was described as a hard-working man who regrets his behaviour and takes full responsibility.

Nicoline Julius, 54, from the Netherlands, met members of a Teignmouth-based family during a course in Ireland and received help with accommodation issues. She subsequently developed an obsessive fixation, ignoring a 2019 caution and multiple restraining orders. Julius continued harassment through text messages, emails, and an in-person delivery of a gold gift worth €1,800 in 2022. The harassment escalated in 2024 and 2025, including threats to park outside their home until they spoke to her. She was arrested for the final time in September 2025 after accusing the family of betrayal. The family reported relentless stress, anxiety, and unnerving visits, emphasizing no desire for further contact.

Stephen Broome, 68, of Exmouth, was stopped by police while driving and searched, revealing a significant amount of heroin wrapped and ready for sale. More drugs were found at a hotel where he was staying. After being bailed, he continued offending and was arrested again in February 2025 after police observed him dealing drugs.

In August 2024, Jayson Ross, aged 36, of Denbury, Newton Abbot, turned up at his ex-partner's new boyfriend's house in Starcross out of jealousy, three years after their split. He kicked in the door, grabbed her by the hair tearing a clump from its roots, knocked her to the floor, and kicked her in the face, causing heavy bleeding and fear of a broken nose. Ten minutes later, he called and threatened to kill her partner and torch his car. Police heard him ranting threats. He has a history of violence against women, including a 2022 conviction for ABH and threats to kill the same victim, for which he was jailed and given a restraining order.

Joseph Blackwell, a 25-year-old scaffolder from Beacon Lane, Exeter, dressed as a parsnip for his hockey club's Christmas party which he organised as social secretary. At 2.40am outside a kebab shop in the city centre, after exchanging terse words with his former friend and fellow player the victim due to simmering beef, Blackwell punched the victim, breaking his jaw which required surgery and plates to be inserted. The incident was caught on CCTV. Blackwell had downed eight pints and some vodka beforehand and immediately walked away after the attack. He has been suspended from the club where he played since age 13.

Warren Whitehouse, an 87-year-old man from Liverton near Newton Abbot, sexually abused a boy aged seven or eight by showing him pictures of naked women on his computer and forcing the boy to touch his penis. He then attempted to buy the boy's silence with Lego. The abuse occurred over a decade ago, and Whitehouse avoided justice until convicted at trial earlier in 2025. The victim reported years of turmoil, self-blame, and guilt as a result.

Justin Sanders, 29, of Exeter, was released from prison in August 2024 with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning him from meeting other registered sex offenders. Within two weeks, he began a nine-month friendship with another convicted sex offender, meeting nearly every day near the Mill on the Exe pub by the river. He ignored warnings from his offender manager to end the contact and tipped off his friend via text when police came to arrest him. During one encounter, Sanders became sexually aroused upon seeing a nine-year-old boy with his father. This was not his first breach of the SHPO.

On February 23, 2025, Paul Toovey, consumed by jealousy, confronted his estranged wife and her new partner outside the White Hart pub in Newton Abbot. CCTV captured him attempting to slit the partner's throat in East Street, resulting in a superficial neck wound, then stabbing the partner in the abdomen. Moments later, he stabbed his wife in the stomach outside Austin's department store without warning, causing her to fall in agony. Toovey fled, discarding the knife in a bin, and was arrested that night at his home in Newton Abbot, making self-pitying comments to police.

Jeremy Pilkington, a 60-year-old marine engineer, engaged in controlling and coercive behaviour towards his ex-wife during their 20-year marriage from 2015 to 2023. Incidents included violence such as flicking her in the face, punching her resulting in a black eye and bruising, playing loud music to prevent sleep, spraying her with a hosepipe in bed, and waking her with bruises on her arms. The couple lived on a barge. The ex-wife was scared of him, and he blamed her for the issues. The prosecutor noted she was always shut down by him.

On a night out in January 2023, Teddy Hall, then aged 19, was ejected from the Timepiece nightclub in Exeter following an argument between groups of friends. While the victim, another student, was in conversation with someone else and not posing any threat, Hall launched a headbutt with significant force, causing the victim to hit his head on a wall and fall to the ground. The victim suffered a fractured eye socket and nose, requiring surgery, and was unable to eat regular food. He experienced ongoing pain and depression, and his aspirations to study medicine were impacted. Hall fled the scene but was identified via CCTV. Now aged 21 and from Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire, Hall claimed self-defence but was convicted.

Steven Woodstock, 37, bombarded his ex-partner in Exeter with hundreds of messages, loitered outside her home, followed her, photographed her, banged on doors, ignored police warnings, and drove off in her car without permission. He once confronted her in the street asking why she was ignoring him.

On March 17, 2025, Nicholas Courtney, aged 46, arrived at Darts Farm near Topsham, Exeter, by bus. He complained of feeling unwell and was offered water but began rocking, shouting, and foaming at the mouth. He entered the kitchen, grabbed two large butchery knives with 25cm blades, pointed them at staff members, and threatened them while talking gibberish during a psychotic breakdown. He followed one staff member to the butchery, but was restrained by a heroic worker using a Yeti cool box. Police arrested him after he assaulted an officer at the hospital. This incident occurred two months after he breached his sexual harm prevention order by failing to notify police of his whereabouts while living in a tent near Bromhams car park.

Alex Waterman, 39, from Tiverton, engaged in a campaign of harassment against his ex-partner after their short relationship ended in April 2025. He sent threatening messages such as 'You can run but you can't hide' and 'Sleep with one eye open', posted ominous messages on Facebook and TikTok including 'What goes around comes around' and 'Something really bad is going to happen soon', threatened suicide, claimed to have keys to her property, sent disturbing photos, turned up at her home, and threw a brick through her window in May 2025, causing serious alarm and distress. The victim activated a panic alarm leading to his arrest. She described her life being turned upside down, fearing for her life, suffering stress, nightmares, and believing he was evil after he pretended to be kind and caring.

Tom Sellick, 32, and friend Ayden Barrier began dealing in cocaine after becoming addicted to the class A drug to fund their habit. Police raided their homes in Nursery News, Exmouth, uncovering a lucrative drug operation with more than £6,000 in cash and drug gear. Sellick was dealing at a higher level.

Nicholas Parker, 34, was living in a squalid and dilapidated house in Exeter with five children and four French bulldogs belonging to his sick partner who was in hospital in June 2024. The house was damp and mould-ridden with a water leak, caved-in ceiling, and a smell of death. Police found three dogs in an upstairs bedroom with no food or water; two (Peach and Finger) were dangerously emaciated but survived and were rehomed, one (Piper) was dead after eating something inedible, and a fourth (Luther) was later found dead from starvation. One dog had eaten its own hind leg out of desperation. Parker claimed he threw food into the room but was unaware of the dogs.

On August 25, 2025, at about 10pm near Pinhoe Road in Exeter, Les Williams, 58, was sat in the dark in playing fields with his mobility scooter lights off and a bottle of lubricant. Two 14-year-old boys walking to the train station asked if he needed help as he claimed to be stuck. He propositioned them by asking if they 'wanted a little play' and confirmed it was about sex when questioned. The boys felt uneasy, filmed his behaviour, walked away, and called the police. Officers found him still there, arrested him, and seized the lubricant. He did not answer questions at the station.

Kai Abbott, 26, of Bideford, participated in the violent assault in June 2024 at Dunsland carpark, Holsworthy, Devon. Masked, he approached the car with Stevens after Hawke lured the victim there. Abbott continued the sustained attack on the victim with Stevens after Hawke left. The victim hid in nearby woods, collapsed, and was found the next day with fractures to his head and legs, and body bruising.

Timothy Bates carried out a campaign of sexual abuse against a child under 13 in South Devon more than a decade ago. He was convicted at trial in July 2025 and sentenced on October 7, 2025. The victim, who bravely gave evidence at trial, stated that the crimes left her traumatised with flashbacks but she feels stronger having fought for justice. Bates, of Liskeard, has never admitted the suffering he caused.