Maidstone Crown Court Sentencing Results

Ian Collard, 34, from Medway, breached the terms of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) by downloading banned apps such as Snapchat and setting up online dating profiles using aliases, despite prohibitions on accessing the internet without informing authorities, using social media or dating apps, and conditions requiring device inspections. Following a routine visit by Kent Police, prohibited activity was found on his mobile phone. He was arrested on 17 May 2024 and charged the same day.

Matthew Byrne, 44, from Sevenoaks, and Beau Devlin attempted to import around five tons of cocaine between March 2020 and June 2020 via ports in Europe including Antwerp and the UK, and discussed smuggling between five and 10 tons at a time over the previous eight years. They used banana consignments as cover loads, created front companies, conducted dummy runs costing £300,000, used 'plug cars' with hidden compartments, paid lorry drivers £50,000 each for smuggling 250 kilos, and paid £3 million for a 600-kilo load. Byrne also traded in prohibited weapons, including Mac 11 submachine guns, and discussed breaking contacts out of prison vans. They laundered profits through Chris O'Shea in Hatton Garden, exchanging cash for clean money, gold bars (10-15 at £40,000 each), and designer watches.

Beau Devlin, 33, from east London, along with Matthew Byrne, attempted to import around five tons of cocaine between March 2020 and June 2020 via ports in Europe including Antwerp and the UK, and discussed smuggling between five and 10 tons at a time over the previous eight years. They used banana consignments as cover loads, created front companies, conducted dummy runs costing £300,000, used 'plug cars' with hidden compartments, paid lorry drivers £50,000 each for smuggling 250 kilos, and paid £3 million for a 600-kilo load. Devlin was tasked with transferring cash and gold to and from launderer Chris O'Shea, and personally requested £100,000 in clean £20 notes for a 3% commission.

On 20 November 2023, Jack Hickey, 28, of Woodlands Avenue, Snodland, created a profile on Chat Avenue targeting a user he believed to be a teenage boy. He moved communication to Snapchat, sending pictures, sexually explicit messages, and an indecent image of himself. Identified by bedroom wallpaper and arrested on 30 November 2023. Between 15 and 19 November 2024, he used another Snapchat account to target another believed teenage boy, sending lewd messages, requesting explicit photos in school uniform, and arranging to meet in Canterbury, where he was arrested.

Danny Butt, a 42-year-old from Brixton, London, was driving a Seat Leon on Woodlands Road, Gillingham, on the evening of June 24, 2022. He exceeded the 30mph speed limit, ran a red light at the junction with Cornwallis Avenue, and struck a 10-year-old boy pedestrian crossing the road. The child sustained serious head injuries and was airlifted to hospital. Butt was arrested at the scene; blood analysis revealed cannabis and cocaine exceeding legal limits.

Christopher Christou made an intimate recording of the victim from an address in Kent in 2019, including both himself and the woman, allegedly filmed without the victim’s knowledge or consent. In June 2021, from Famagusta, Cyprus, he made repeated attempts to contact the victim in England via phone calls and messages, threatening to distribute the footage to other members of her family. On 30 June 2021, after a male relative answered the phone and demanded he leave her alone, Christou sent the sexually explicit video to the relative via WhatsApp. Kent Police arrested him on 8 August 2024 in Rochester after he returned to the UK.

Owen Payne, 24, from Maidstone, breached his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) by failing to notify police of three mobile phones, a tablet, a gaming device, a computer, and 16 online aliases. During a routine home check in September 2024, officers seized the devices and later uncovered nine bladed weapons, including knives and swords, at his property.

Jake Booth, a convicted sex offender from Tonbridge banned from communicating with children under a sexual harm prevention order, created an internet chat group for motorbike enthusiasts and used it to contact a teenage girl online. Conversations moved to Snapchat before he arranged to meet the girl and her parents, gained their confidence by posing as a close friend, and was allowed to stay in their home. He was arrested on 11 April 2024 when found in the child’s bed, breaching the order which prohibited unsupervised contact or communication with anyone under 16.

Luke Seffens, 34, conducted a sustained campaign of domestic abuse against his partner between September and December 2023, including random acts of violence, constant demands for proof of whereabouts, and stalking at her workplace. In December 2023, he subjected her to a brutal attack in a flat, beating her repeatedly, breaking a coffee mug on her head, and holding her captive while threatening to stab and strangle her. The victim escaped the next day, leading to his arrest. Despite conditional bail, he continued contacting her. In July 2024, he fled police in Tunbridge Wells town centre, leading to a chase ending in woodland near Vauxhall Lane where he was apprehended with Police Dog Elsa.

Michael Numan sexually abused a child in April 2023, committing repeated offences over a few hours. During the abuse, he attempted to manipulate the child by claiming they were in a 'special relationship' and warning them not to disclose the abuse to anyone. The victim confided in family members, leading to Numan's arrest shortly after the abuse occurred.

James Anderson, 46, attacked a 50-year-old man outside a pub in Maidstone in the early hours of 4 August 2024. He headbutted the victim, punched him to the ground, hit him with a pint glass, and stamped on him five times, leaving the victim unconscious with severe head injuries. Anderson fled the scene but was arrested later that day and charged with wounding with intent. He pleaded guilty on 25 September 2024.

Jayren Kadamen sent a series of sexual messages online in the hope of arranging to meet a child for sex. He travelled to meet a girl on 23 October 2024 but was arrested by police upon arrival. Officers searched his car and found a mobile phone containing multiple indecent images of children.

Robert Fletcher, 40, of Broadway, carried out a violent street assault in Lower Stone Street, Maidstone, on 18 August 2024. Police were called at 9.40am to a disturbance. Fletcher had been with acquaintances when an argument started. The victim was lying down on a nearby wall when Fletcher suddenly approached and violently assaulted him, later returning to stamp on his defenceless victim a second time, leaving him with facial injuries. The victim was taken to hospital and discharged. Fletcher was located nearby, arrested, and a large bag of cocaine was recovered when searched.

Dougie Frankham, 38, from Maidstone, repeatedly breached a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) issued in February 2022, which restricted his access to only three specific retailers. Between April and August 2024, Frankham was caught on camera and identified by staff stealing alcohol and groceries from stores including Co-op and Lidl, all in direct violation of his CBO. Following his arrest on August 13th, 2024.

On 14 February 2024, Kent Police officers visited Paul Webster’s home to inspect devices under his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). He provided a non-internet enabled phone but claimed no other devices. A search revealed two internet-enabled phones (one under a pillow), 11 USB sticks and an SD card. One phone contained indecent images of children, including category A material, and a browser without internet history. He also had a bank card without notifying police, breaching notification requirements.

Robert Gunner targeted children over a three-year period, committing horrific offences. Kent Police received allegations and arrested him, seizing his laptop and mobile phone, which contained 226 illegal images of children, including 27 of the most serious category, and eight extreme pornographic images. These actions left the victims with traumatic memories.

Sean Royle, 37, from Maidstone, breached his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) imposed in 2021 by secretly using a mobile phone. In July 2023, he was found to be in an undisclosed relationship with a woman who has young children. On 1 September 2023, he used a Snapchat profile to contact a 13-year-old girl outside Kent, revealing his age (almost three times hers), expressing desire to kiss and hug her, asking her to be his girlfriend, and sending a picture showing his face and naked upper torso with a distinctive tattoo. The victim informed her father, leading to his arrest on 29 November 2023. The seized phone contained almost 200 illegal videos and images of children being sexually abused.

Andrew Bloomfield targeted a first victim he knew indirectly from 2013, sending images of naked men, using sexually derogatory language and making lewd suggestions, continuing despite objections using fake identities over several years. From 2016, he targeted a second victim with images of men’s genitals and offensive messages using around 80 false identities. The women, acquaintances, contacted police leading to his arrest on 31 August 2022. Digital devices seized revealed evidence against the victims and other women.

Asif Mirza contacted the victim through social media at the start of 2024, gained her trust by showing sympathy for her personal issues, pressured her to send indecent images, and arranged to meet her at a park in Sittingbourne on 2 August 2024. When the victim felt unwell, he encouraged her to sit in the rear of his car parked in Avenue of Remembrance, covered the windows, and committed an indecent act in her presence. A Kent Police worker noticed the suspicious vehicle, leading to his arrest after he claimed she was his step-daughter but admitted they met online.

Alwyn Tuttiett tormented his former partner with a constant barrage of phone calls, emails and social media posts, and repeatedly followed her as she walked with her child, after their relationship ended in October 2023. He bombarded her with aggressive, degrading and sexually explicit voicemails and messages, including calling her phone 134 times in one week. After being blocked, he made accusations via her friends’ Facebook pages, impacting her business. On 6 February 2024, he arrived at her home, screamed and spat in her face in the presence of her child. Arrested later that month, he continued harassment despite bail conditions, leading to re-arrest in June.

Liam Battelle met his victim through social media and met her in person at the start of 2023. He moved into her house and began assaulting her. He was extremely jealous, accusing her of other relationships, requiring permission to use her phone while listening to calls, not allowing her to use the bathroom alone or hair straighteners, threatening to throw acid in her face if she left, causing her to distance from family and friends. He continued assaults, damaged her property, and used her bank card for purchases. Arrested on 11 July.

Between July and November 2024, Webb and an accomplice stole at least eight keyless Ford Fiestas from homes and car parks around Tunbridge Wells, Gravesend, and Ramsgate using an on-board diagnostics tool, dismantling them at an industrial site near Bedgebury Pinetum for parts.

Between July and November 2024, Burren and an accomplice stole at least eight keyless Ford Fiestas from homes and car parks around Tunbridge Wells, Gravesend, and Ramsgate using an on-board diagnostics tool, dismantling them at an industrial site near Bedgebury Pinetum for parts.

On February 20, 2024, shortly after midnight in Luton, Kelliot and an accomplice demanded cash from a man in his 50s, took £100 and his phone, then stabbed him multiple times when he said he had no more money. Victim hospitalized.

Peter Johnson, a 37-year-old registered sex offender from Tunbridge Wells, formerly known as Peter Austen and previously convicted in 2017 of possessing indecent images of children, used a fake Snapchat profile as 'Matt Harper' to contact who he believed was a 13-year-old girl (a decoy profile). Over several days in October 2023, he sent explicit images including videos of himself, voice messages, and clothed images showing his face. Arrested at his home on 15 November 2023; phone seized revealed an illegal image of a child in the most serious category.

Issoop Naguib Lootfun, a 69-year-old care worker at a care home in Maidstone, had sex without the consent of a vulnerable young disabled woman on or around 8 May 2024. Police were called after a condom wrapper was found in the woman’s room. Lootfun initially claimed it had fallen out of his pocket and denied any sexual activity. He was suspended from the care home. Searches revealed two used condoms with DNA matching both Lootfun and the victim, as well as semen stains in her room matching his DNA profile. The offence involved significant planning and an attempt to cover up the crime by disposing of evidence within plastic gloves.

Naguib Lootfun, a 69-year-old care worker from Maidstone, sexually abused a severely disabled vulnerable patient unable to consent while working night shift at an assisted living facility. Suspicions arose on 8 May 2024 after colleagues found an empty condom wrapper in the victim's bedroom. A used condom was found the next day, leading to his arrest on suspicion of rape. Further evidence including a second used condom and DNA linked him to the offences. He initially denied but later admitted the act.

Richard Howes, a 59-year-old registered sex offender from Chatham, Medway, was subject to a sexual harm prevention order issued at Maidstone Crown Court on 20 August 2021 following a conviction for making indecent images of children. The order required him to make any internet-enabled device available for police inspection on request and notify them within three days of acquiring new devices. On 28 February 2024, police visited after suspecting he had a new undeclared phone. He presented a phone and tablet but denied other devices; a search found two further tablets and another phone not declared.

Rhys Mateer, a sex offender, tampered with police monitoring software on his mobile phone, installed an application to prevent retention of his browsing history, used an alias on his gaming console without notifying police, and acquired a laptop and external hard drive without declaration. These actions breached conditions from his previous conviction. On June 15, 2024, police visited his home and discovered the breaches, leading to his arrest. Further searches found undeclared items including a bank card, tablet, and mobile phone in his car. Originally, he was convicted in August 2020 for engaging in sexual communication with a child.

On May 31, 2024, at a roundabout near Bobbing on the A249, Willis' Volkswagen Golf struck a man after a road rage incident originating near a petrol station in Sittingbourne. The victim suffered injuries to his face, teeth, and hands after being thrown from the windscreen.