Lewes Crown Court Sentencing Results

Donat Kurtaj, along with Walter Ulndreaj, was involved in running a cannabis farm at a unit on the Riverside Industrial Estate, Bridge Road, Littlehampton. On 12 January 2024, police attended and found more than 1,000 cannabis plants and cultivation equipment. Both were arrested at the premises. They admitted cultivating cannabis.

Ashkan Zahedian, sole director of Vast Cars Limited, attacked a security guard at a bar with a machete. He pleaded guilty in May 2020 to grievous bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon.

On 8 October 2022, Barry Brown, a member of the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club, joined an attack on a Vikings Motorcycle Club member on Findon Road, Findon. After the victim was stabbed by Callum Shaw, Brown kicked and stamped on him. The victim sustained life-threatening injuries. Brown was convicted of violent disorder and actual bodily harm.

On 9 September 2017, Benjamin Bosden, 20, drove a Mini Countryman on the A267 near Cross-In-Hand after consuming alcohol, with blood alcohol levels well over the legal limit. He reached speeds of over 110 mph on a 60 mph road, crossing into the opposite lane and colliding head-on with a Ford Ranger carrying the two victims. Both died at the scene, and their 18-year-old passenger survived but suffered life-threatening injuries. Bosden's speedometer was found stuck at 112 mph.

Peter Howard, a registered sex offender from Worthing, breached court orders and accessed indecent images of children online. He admitted the offences at Lewes Crown Court.

On 16 October 2022 at about 9.30pm, Nasko Naskof crashed into the victim on Rusper Road, Horsham. The victim was walking home and was found unconscious with a fractured skull. He required six weeks in intensive care, surgery to remove part of his skull and fit a titanium plate, and continues to suffer from memory, speech, language and brain function impairments. Naskof drove on the wrong side of the road in a Ford Fiesta with dangerously exposed tyre cords, then fled the scene without reporting the collision. Police identified the car from debris and CCTV, and arrested him on 22 October 2022 after finding the Fiesta hidden in his back garden with significant windscreen damage. He pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Martin Yates, 48, of Eastbourne, was the assistant moderator of a dark web site called The Annex, which had 90,000 members sharing and discussing extreme child sexual abuse material including 'hurtcore' and abuse of babies and toddlers. Between January and September 2020, Yates enforced site rules, promoted or dropped users, provided access to private areas, advised on security, and passed on training. He used the username 'yates704' and revealed his first name, age, and location in chats. Investigators found 6,000 private messages linking him to moderation activities and indecent images. He was arrested at his Eastbourne home in July 2022, made full admissions, and was charged.

Matthew Pahlavan, 41, of Hove, subjected a 41-year-old woman to extensive domestic abuse between February 2023 and September 2023 in Hove and Burgess Hill. He would hit her, verbally abuse her, threaten her, repeatedly call her and track her. On one occasion, she received over 100 emails in a single day. On 22 April in Burgess Hill, he waited outside her home, attempted to block her in, and rammed her car. She managed to escape, but he followed her. Police were called on 18 September and an investigation was launched.

Joshua Frasier admitted 21 thefts committed in Crawley between October and January. He stole clothing and other goods from various retailers.

On 16 January 2023, Joshua Keen was driving a white Peugeot Partner van on the A267 near Mayfield when he drove onto the wrong side of the road and collided head-on with a Hyundai. Dashcam footage from his vehicle showed him weaving and almost mounting the grass verge and crossing the centre lines in the minutes before the crash. Both Keen and the 43-year-old female driver of the Hyundai sustained life-changing injuries. The woman spent several weeks in hospital and continues to require rehabilitation.

Learna Wood assaulted a 43-year-old man on Liverpool Road, Worthing, near the Montague Centre, around 2am on 10 December. She used a Stanley knife to cut off part of his ear and slash his face, causing permanent facial injuries. She was later arrested and pleaded guilty to Section 18 grievous bodily harm and possession of a knife in a public place.

Russell Le Beau was driving a van in Hooe, East Sussex, in December 2022 when unsecured scaffolding boards fell from the vehicle on a left-hand bend. One of the boards struck an 11-year-old boy sitting in the front seat of his father's car, and the boy later died in hospital. Le Beau admitted causing death by dangerous driving.

Ryan Breach admitted 13 shop thefts and eight breaches of a criminal behaviour order. His stolen items included medicine, protein powder, and Lego, taken from shops across West Sussex.

On 26 July 2023, at about 7:45pm in Upperton Road, Eastbourne, Sharon Abraham, driving a grey Lexus at an estimated 52mph in a 30mph zone, struck 75-year-old victim on a zebra crossing. Abraham paused momentarily but then drove off, leaving the victim fatally injured at the scene. He failed to report the accident. The next morning, he purchased a cover for his car to conceal the damage. He was arrested 16 hours after the collision. Abraham had passed his UK driving test only hours earlier, having previously held a driving licence abroad for nine years. He pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

Steven Shevlin, 34, of Shoreham, a registered sex offender, was stopped near Arundel last November by the Specialist Enforcement Unit acting on intelligence from the Violent Sex Offender Register Team. He was driving a Ford Transit that he had failed to register with police, breaching a sexual harm prevention order imposed in 2020. The vehicle had false number plates, and he was driving without insurance. A search of the vehicle uncovered cannabis, an extendable baton, and a knuckle duster. Shevlin failed a roadside drug test and subsequently refused to provide a blood specimen for analysis. He admitted the breach, as well as driving with false plates and without insurance, possession of cannabis and weapons, and refusing a blood test. The court heard that he had a history of drug use, sexual offending including acts of indecency and exposure, violence, and prior possession of weapons.

Vilius Domarkas drove a Citroen Relay van into a coned-off area of the M23 at junction nine southbound in the early hours of July 8, killing a highways worker who had been out of his vehicle for only seven seconds. The court heard he had been zigzagging between lanes and was driving while under the influence of alcohol. He stopped about 500m after the crash and called police to say his windscreen was cracked, but did not know why. A blood sample four hours later showed 221 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of blood, with the judge estimating he was three or four times over the legal limit. In mitigation, the court heard he was genuinely remorseful and intended to return to Lithuania after his sentence.

Walter Ulndreaj, along with Donat Kurtaj, was involved in running a cannabis farm at a unit on the Riverside Industrial Estate, Bridge Road, Littlehampton. On 12 January 2024, police attended and found more than 1,000 cannabis plants and cultivation equipment. Both were arrested at the premises. They admitted cultivating cannabis.

William Mousdell, 49, of Crawley, was arrested at his home on 14 December 2022 after police linked his address to the uploading of indecent images of children to the internet. Several devices were seized and found to contain thousands of indecent images, including hundreds of Category A moving and still images. Some of the images were non-sexual pictures of children known to him, which had been edited to appear to show sexual and violent acts. He was convicted of three counts of making or possessing indecent images of children.

William Yates ran The Annex, a membership-only forum which hosted a number of areas dedicated to child sexual abuse. The site worked by promoting users from guests to members by live chat participation and sharing imagery.

On 3 January 2024, Zac Brazil entered a property in Littlehampton, armed with a knife and threatened the residents. Later the same day, he entered a property in Storrington, threatened a woman with a knife causing minor injuries, then stamped on her glasses damaging them. When arrested, he was found in possession of cannabis. The previous day he had driven while disqualified and without insurance.