Exeter Crown Court Sentencing Results

Misty Whitehouse was part of a 10-strong gang that travelled hundreds of miles to Lady's Mile holiday park in Dawlish, armed with poles, a knife, and a brick in a sock, due to a feud in the Traveller community. They broke into a caravan intending to attack the victim's sister, but when she escaped, they severely beat her sister, causing injuries including a blood clot to the forehead and extensive bruising. The victim feared for her life and received death threats afterwards.

Mary Delaney was part of a 10-strong gang that travelled hundreds of miles to Lady's Mile holiday park in Dawlish, armed with poles, a knife, and a brick in a sock, due to a feud in the Traveller community. They broke into a caravan intending to attack the victim, but when she escaped, they severely beat the victim's sister, causing injuries including a blood clot to the forehead and extensive bruising. The victim feared for her life and received death threats afterwards.

On September 10, 2024, in Ilfracombe High Street, James Lammas, who had no prior connection to the victim, ran at a man who was arguing with a woman and stabbed him without warning. The victim was stabbed in the neck just above the voicebox, as well as in the head and arm, causing heavy bleeding. A member of the public disarmed Lammas and threw the knife away, but he continued to try to assault the victim. The victim required seven stitches to the neck and five staples to the head, and reported profound impacts including fear of going out alone, mistrust of people, memory loss, flashbacks, and panic.

On February 25, Conan Simmonds, while in a relationship since 2023, lost his temper during an argument at their home in Torquay. He threw a PlayStation controller at his partner, who was unwell, and then put her in a jujitsu choke hold, causing her to lose consciousness and fear for her life. She described blacking out as feeling like a cork popping out of a bottle of Champagne.

Jason Semple entered the White Hart Hotel at around 6pm on Sunday, April 13 holding an axe. He went to the beer garden and approached two men known to him, threatening them. One man picked up a chair to protect himself and keep Semple away. Semple waved the axe around and only stopped after a member of the public intervened, then climbed over the back fence and fled. Armed police, helicopter, dog units and response officers searched the area and located him shortly before 9pm. He was arrested and later pleaded guilty.

Conan Simmons strangled his partner in Torquay during an argument while playing on his PlayStation, causing her to black out and gasp for breath upon waking.

Darren Blockley set fire to his own property on October 22, 2024, during a dispute, causing significant damage to items in another property, including tables, chairs, computers, and TVs valued at £20,000. He used a meat cleaver and hammer to inflict the damage, showing no consideration for neighbouring residents.

Lukasz Grzywna was arrested in the early hours of July 14 in Crediton after being seen leaving a child’s bedroom. Evidence on his phone included videos related to sexual assault and voyeurism, as well as messages about drug supply. He had previously admitted to charges including five counts of voyeurism, five counts of attempting to observe a person in a private act, sexual assault, knowingly trespassing on premises with intent to commit a sexual act, and possessing a prohibited image of a child, along with offering to supply a class B drug.

Cameron Trench-Butler was involved in supplying cannabis, a Class B drug, via Snapchat between October and November 2024. He handled stolen goods, including an Audi S3 Quattro stolen during a burglary in Gloucestershire on November 7, 2024, where his DNA was found in the vehicle. On January 12, 2025, he engaged in dangerous driving while disqualified, driving a BMW in Exeter, speeding away from police, overtaking on blind hills and corners, crossing double white lines, and colliding with another vehicle on Barley Lane, which was occupied by a member of the public, his pregnant wife, and young son, resulting in minor injuries to the adults.

David Yilma, a 44-year-old IT expert and former teacher, set up covert cameras disguised in items such as Wi-Fi routers and cotton bud boxes to secretly record young boys in private and school settings over a period of five years. The offences occurred in South Devon and Suffolk, involving the recording of at least seven boys during activities where they expected privacy. His actions were uncovered when a live feed from one of his cameras was noticed, leading to his arrest. Examination of his devices revealed a large volume of footage and other child abuse material accessed via the dark web.

On April 30, 2023, at a charity fundraiser in Dawlish, Daniel Smith engaged in an argument over fancy dress outside the Royal British Legion branch. He unexpectedly punched the victim to the side of the face, causing immediate jaw fractures. The victim required hospital treatment, including surgery, and experienced complications leading to intensive care admission. The victim continues to suffer pain when eating or talking excessively.

David Rosewell, of Crook Farm, Combe Raleigh, Honiton, allowed appalling animal health and environmental conditions to persist at his farm. The farm had deep slurry in buildings, decomposing cattle carcasses and bones in fields, cattle in waterlogged conditions with little food, sick and starving animals left to die, live animals grazing amongst carcasses and hazardous debris including domestic waste, scrap metal, broken concrete, and abandoned vehicles. A young calf was found lying in slurry and litter. Despite multiple visits and instructions from authorities in 2022, 2023, and 2024 to provide treatment, feed, remove hazards and carcasses, and comply with an Anti-Pollution Works Notice issued in March 2024, Rosewell failed to act, leading to ongoing pollution risks and animal suffering.

On January 17, 2024, James Wilson, aged 22, from Chulmleigh, along with William Edward, drank with the victim, a homeless transgender woman in her 30s, outside the Guildhall in Exeter. They launched a prolonged brutal attack while she slept in a sleeping bag, taking turns to punch, kick, and stamp on her head over five minutes, captured on CCTV. The attack was paused and resumed with increased savagery, causing multiple facial fractures and a brain bleed. The victim required extensive hospital treatment and reported severe pain and vulnerability.

On January 17, 2024, William Edward, aged 23, from Chulmleigh, along with James Wilson, drank with the victim, a homeless transgender woman in her 30s, outside the Guildhall in Exeter. They launched a prolonged brutal attack while she slept in a sleeping bag, taking turns to punch, kick, and stamp on her head over five minutes, captured on CCTV. The attack was paused and resumed with increased savagery, causing multiple facial fractures and a brain bleed. The victim required extensive hospital treatment and reported severe pain and vulnerability.

On 16 August 2023, in the early hours, Drew Davey, after drinking and arguing with his girlfriend, entered sheltered housing at Lulworth in Westward Ho!, Devon. He fell asleep in a garden shed but was disturbed by two vulnerable residents smoking outside. Davey attacked them, repeatedly hitting them over the head with a broom handle in the kitchen. A staff member investigating the noise was hit in the face. The two residents suffered significant head wounds and were hospitalized in serious condition for weeks. The staff member, despite injury, alerted police. Davey was arrested nearby.

Thomas Kettleborough, a 35-year-old former Inspector at Avon and Somerset Police, sexually communicated with a boy on Snapchat and made more than 150 indecent images of children. He arranged to meet who he believed was a 14-year-old boy via Grindr, leading to his arrest in a police sting on July 14, 2023, in a Bristol car park. During the arrest, authorities found sex toys, condoms, and bondage equipment in his vehicle. The offences spanned four years and occurred while he was in positions of trust, including as a volunteer for the Sea Cadets and the Royal Lifesaving Society.