Exeter Crown Court Sentencing Results

Kevin Davis, a 41-year-old former PC from Seaton, contacted a much younger woman on social media in January 2025, sending unwanted direct messages. He also approached her at the gym where they were both members, making her feel vulnerable and unsafe. Additionally, he accessed a police database for non-policing purposes, contrary to the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

Clara Guttridge from Brixham conducted a campaign of stalking and harassment against two victims by sending hate-filled and threatening messages between January 7 and February 6, 2025. She ignored warnings to stop, causing victims extreme distress, including one who quit their job and described the situation as a 'vile' and 'horrific nightmare'. She was deemed a dangerous offender due to her obsessive and paranoid personality.

Stephen Huxtable, 59, of Moorfield Road, Exmouth, downloaded and shared over 100,000 indecent images and videos of children being abused, including more than 17,000 in category A, nearly 20,000 in category B, and 67,841 in category C. He also possessed 142 prohibited images of children and extreme images involving bestiality. The offences occurred between September 2009 and January 2024, with police involvement starting after an image was uploaded to his Instagram account in 2021. He shared access to a 'mega file' of images with an undercover officer and continued offending after being released under investigation.

Jason Robins, from Teignmouth, and Andrew Holland committed 44 burglaries over a nine-month period starting in September 2024, targeting commercial premises in the South West, North Yorkshire, and Cheshire. They broke into service stations, golf clubs, takeaways, cafes, garages, shops, and attractions such as South Devon Heritage Railway, Longcombe Garden Centre, Teignmouth Golf Club, and Crealy Theme Park. They stole alcohol, power tools, cash totalling nearly £14,000, and vehicles, while causing damage worth over £24,000. They were identified through CCTV and DNA evidence, including blood and a cigarette at crime scenes, and were arrested as part of Operation Lizardfish.

Jemma Cruse started a fire in her own home in College View, Tiverton, on November 17, 2024, causing £130,000 worth of damage by igniting cardboard boxes and mattresses. Four months later, on April 2, she started another fire at her ex-partner's house in St Peter Street, Tiverton, after removing sentimental items, targeting the bedroom, living room, and sofa. Her actions were driven by personal turmoil, drug misuse, and a personality disorder, endangering neighbouring properties and lives.

Andrew Holland, from Torquay, and Jason Robins committed 44 burglaries over a nine-month period starting in September 2024, targeting commercial premises in the South West, North Yorkshire, and Cheshire. They broke into service stations, golf clubs, takeaways, cafes, garages, shops, and attractions such as South Devon Heritage Railway, Longcombe Garden Centre, Teignmouth Golf Club, and Crealy Theme Park. They stole alcohol, power tools, cash totalling nearly £14,000, and vehicles, while causing damage worth over £24,000. They were identified through CCTV and DNA evidence, including blood and a cigarette at crime scenes, and were arrested as part of Operation Lizardfish.

Callum Sangan was stopped by police in Torquay in February 2022 for not displaying L-plates on his motorbike. Officers seized 53.6g of cannabis with a street value of £700 and £10,810 in cash, which he claimed he was holding for someone else and was for his own use. A subsequent search found additional cannabis, a lock knife, and two phones that showed evidence of dealing cannabis and cocaine since late 2021. He has previous convictions for violence, dishonesty, and possession of drugs. The case took over three years to reach court, during which time the defendant transformed his life.

Daniel Walker harassed his grandmother over several days leading up to April 20 by making repeated threats to kill her, cut her throat, and burn her house down, while calling her abusive names and demanding money. She felt physically intimidated due to his size, and other tenants moved out because of his behaviour. He was under the influence of drugs and alcohol during the incidents. Additionally, he assaulted a police officer by headbutting him during arrest and breached his sexual harm prevention order by not disclosing ownership of an Alexa device, stemming from a 2018 conviction for attempting to meet a girl under 16 after grooming.

Paul Harrison, 41, of Stanbury Road in Torquay, harassed someone by breaching a restraining order multiple times between March 14, 2025, and April 6, 2025.

Yanko Yankov, 35, controlled a Bulgarian man who could not speak English, taking his wages earned at a chicken factory in Cullompton, beating him regularly, underfeeding him, making him do household chores, isolating him, refusing to return his phone, and threatening to kill him with a knife. This ordeal occurred over two and a half months in 2019, during which Yankov and his wife used the victim's bank card and withdrew his cash.

Wesley Hayes carried out a premeditated attack in Dawlish in January 2024, throwing a liquid believed to be cleaning fluid into the face of an acquaintance who owed him money. The victim experienced 20 minutes of pain, fear of being blinded, and required hospital treatment. The liquid also caused paint to peel from a nearby wall.

Jamie Stevens, 51, covered the body of his former partner, the victim, with a blanket at his home in Upton Road, Torquay, after she died there around January 2023. He lived with the body for over two years without reporting it, made false statements to the police regarding her whereabouts, and prevented her lawful burial. The body was discovered on 27 May 2025 during a police search, leading to his arrest and charges.

Kevin Braithwaite conducted a nine-month campaign of harassment against his ex-partner, including sending threatening messages such as 'sitting duck' and a link to a will writing service. The situation escalated on September 8, 2024, when he deliberately drove into her car multiple times in Dartmouth Road, Paignton, causing the vehicles to become stuck. He dragged her car along the road with her inside, then stopped and assaulted her by punching her in the face and pulling her hair. He fled but was later arrested at a hotel where he was found drunk.

Jacob Archer became aggressive after watching a football match and smoking cannabis. He returned home and repeatedly grabbed his ex-partner around the throat, strangling her multiple times during the incident in July 2024. She tried to resist, sustained scratches to her chest and reddening to her neck, and later reported feeling de-humanised and anxious as a result of the relationship.

Katie Rockett stabbed a man in the head with a Stanley knife during a violent clash outside Torquay Town Hall, after her boyfriend got into a fight with the victim, leading to a large police response and road closures.

Muratt Ozgun engaged in online conversations on a dating site and WhatsApp with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl between March and May 2025. He sent explicit videos and images of himself, described sexual acts he intended to perform, bought underwear for her, arranged accommodation at a bed and breakfast, and provided a map for directions to meet at Torre Station in Torquay for sex. He was arrested upon arrival on May 10, 2025.

Luke Thomas, a 37-year-old man from Totnes Road, Paignton, secretly filmed teens using a hidden camera and shared obscene messages with other paedophiles. He possessed indecent photos of children and published obscene articles in chat forums.

Christopher De Burton, a 67-year-old man from Thurlow Road, Torquay, committed multiple sexual offences against a young girl, as detailed in the case.

Wade Robinson, a 31-year-old man, abused a young girl and possessed hundreds of images of child sex abuse. Police linked him to an online account after an image was uploaded to a website and executed a warrant at an address in Exeter in 2022, where he attempted to escape.

Philip Liley, as director of Sweeper Hire and Hoses Ltd, leased land at Higher Brocks Plantation, Newton Abbot, Devon, and illegally stored and deposited thousands of tonnes of construction waste without an environmental permit. This activity caused pollution of a tributary of the River Bovey, including a pipe discharging grey-brown liquid and runoff from the site, occurring between September 2021 and September 2023.

Diesel Gaskell, previously convicted of three child abuse offences in 2021, breached his Sexual Offences Prevention Order by possessing two undeclared mobile phones and creating eight social media profiles using false details, including incorrect date of birth, name, and image. Police visited his address in Torquay in April 2025 based on intelligence, arrested him after he refused a search, and found the devices under his duvet. He initially lied about owning the phones but later admitted the breach.

Steven McMahon, 41, accused his friend of making a pass at his girlfriend and attacked him in his supported living accommodation in Seaton. He armed himself with two knives, jumped on the victim's bed, held a knife to the victim's throat, and stabbed him once in the back, causing a 4cm cut that required four stitches. He also threatened the victim's partner, demanding money and drugs, before being fought off and disarmed. The victim and McMahon had known each other for 20 years, and the incident occurred the morning after the accusation.

Jake Nathan Marshall assaulted a four-year-old child in July 2023, causing significant bruising to the child's face through a deliberate attack involving significant force, possibly using a shod foot as a weapon. He was entrusted to look after the child but lied about the injuries. The incident was captured in images, and he was convicted by a jury at Truro Crown Court before being sentenced.

Nathan Ballard, a 30-year-old from Exeter, was intoxicated on alcohol and Valium when he had an argument with his girlfriend and left home intending to stab people. In November 2022, he attacked a stranger outside the victim's home in North Lawn Court, Exeter, using a hunting knife. The victim sustained life-changing wounds to the chest and arm, requiring emergency surgery, and now lives as a hermit due to the injuries, which have affected his ability to work as a tiler and painter and decorator. The blood from the wounds flowed like a river down the road.

David Fuller, 64, of Church Lane, Broadclyst, Exeter, abused a girl in 2023 by engaging in sexual activity with her. He bought her gifts, including jewellery, to keep the abuse secret and instructed her to hide them from her family. The abuse was discovered when the victim showed her mother a diary on her phone detailing the incidents, leading to his arrest and subsequent conviction.

Kareem Andes lost his temper after a night out with his partner, threatened to kill her, grabbed her from behind, and held her around the throat, causing her to nearly pass out and drop to the floor.