Portsmouth Crown Court Sentencing Results

Michelle Jewell, 42, of no fixed abode, entered a flat in Gosport, on 1 December 2021, where she stole two wallets belonging to a man in his 80s. Bank cards from these wallets were then used by Jewell to purchase goods at local shops. Following an investigation led by the Operation Hawk team, Jewell was arrested and charged.

Michael John Smith entered a garage at a property shortly after 11am, reported on 25 September, taking a pair of gardening gloves before breaking into the house via a dog flap in the back door. Several items were stolen including jewellery worth more than £7000. The items were later recovered.

Martyn Dereck Yates went on a crime spree across Hampshire shops in November 2018. On 13 November, he stole £91 of goods from Sainsbury’s in Waterlooville. On 18 November, he stole £58.89 from Co-op in Purbrook. On 29 November, he brandished a knuckle duster at a security guard in Asda, Havant, stealing £689 of toys. On 30 November, he threatened staff at Matalan, Waterlooville, with the knuckle duster while stealing £2,000 worth of designer underwear. Later the same day, he threatened Tesco staff in Portsmouth and stole over £1,000 of toys and alcohol.

Austin abused two girls in 1986, when they were aged five and seven. The victims reported the abuse to police in 2020, leading to a thorough investigation. He was charged with four counts of gross indecency with a girl under 14 years of age and two counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14 years of age.

On 2 September 2023, a woman reported being sexually assaulted while walking alone through Littlehampton town centre at night. She was followed and grabbed by an unknown man who sexually assaulted her, pushed her to the ground and fled. CCTV showed the suspect loitering and following other women. Police deployed plain clothes officers. In the early hours of 1 October 2023, a female plainclothes officer was followed by Mark Stankus for over 30 minutes through the town centre and seafront to Harsfold Road. Wearing a face covering, he chased after her, grabbed and assaulted her. He was intercepted and arrested by nearby officers. He pleaded guilty to sexual assault and causing actual bodily harm.

Liam Nicholas pursued his victim from Guildhall Square in Portsmouth in the early hours of 31 August 2016. He grabbed her from behind, pulled her to the ground, and assaulted her. He tried to pull her trousers down, intending to commit a sexual offence. The victim fought back, shouted for help, and escaped. Nicholas was arrested the same day and later pleaded guilty.

Between March 2018 and January 2019, Whittaker committed a series of burglaries in Whiteley and Portsmouth. On 26 March 2018, he kicked in the front door of a home in Southsea, stealing jewellery and electrical goods. On 9 January 2019 around midnight, he stole two cars and a handbag from a property in Whiteley. He was later caught on CCTV using bank cards stolen from the handbag. Police recovered one of the vehicles. He pleaded guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court to the burglaries and fraudulent use of bank cards.

Louis Alan Bibby committed a serious assault on Fawcett Road on October 28 2020, where a man in his 30s sustained a head injury; he was charged with Section 18 wounding with intent. He also committed a burglary at an address on December 17 2020, gaining access via the front door between 3am and 3.45am and stealing a wallet containing credit and debit cards (one used later), a PS4, a mobile phone, a Galaxy Note and a Google Nest Hub Max. He was identified via forensic examination, Ring Doorbell footage and CCTV.

Luke Bews, 22, broke into homes in Fareham in the early hours of 25 March. At the first property, he crashed a car into the house and stole electronics, £30 in cash, and keys. He broke into a second home, stealing keys and searching vehicles. A third break-in saw him steal a Ford Fiesta, keys, cash, and an engagement ring. Keys from the first two burglaries were found dumped on a bridleway. He was arrested after the first victim provided a clear description and police recovered the stolen Fiesta.

Lee Robert Palmer stole a woman's BMW from the Avalon Health Centre car park, then used it to travel to a burglary on Gudge Heath Lane. He was caught on dash-cam parking the car outside the property and seen leaving with a holdall containing stolen electrical items. He later swapped the vehicle's number plates with those from another BMW to evade detection. He was arrested after a PCSO spotted the car, and DNA and footprints linked him to the crime.

Andrew Evan Smith admitted two counts of burglary and one count of attempted burglary. A 73-year-old woman found him in her hallway on 12 June, and he left on a bike with cash and jewellery worth more than £1,000. He used cleaning products from the home in an attempt to remove forensic evidence, but DNA evidence linked him to other properties.

Andrew Irvine burgled the Crew Clothing store on South Street, Chichester, on 13 December 2023 at around 10pm. He stole nearly £30,000 worth of stock, including more than 100 pairs of jeans. He was arrested at his address in Chichester and later charged.

Anthony James Storr, 32, of Portsmouth, committed a number of burglaries across the city in August. On Sunday 8 August a purse containing money and a bank card, which was later used, was taken from an address. On Saturday 21 August a purse was taken from a salon on Fratton Road. On Wednesday 25 August a wallet containing bank cards and cash was taken from an address in Southsea; the bank card was later used. No-one was injured in the incidents.

On 4 January, Antony Agnew and three masked accomplices smashed their way into a home in Winchester, stealing watches, jewellery and clothing worth £10,000. Agnew was also involved in a string of costly break-ins across west and north Hampshire throughout January. He was caught red-handed. He pleaded guilty on 17 May and was sentenced on 25 May.

Ben Siddle, 27, of Willow Park, Havant, punched and bit the woman, kicked her while wearing steel toe cap boots when she was on the floor, threw a diffuser at her and poured the contents onto her face causing it to burn, and sexually assaulted her after the attacks. These offences took place over a two-year period. He also sent her abusive messages and later messaged her asking her to retract her statement to police.

Fahad Abbas, 39, of Southsea, and Benjamin Coates, 38, of Havant, gained entry to a flat in Portsmouth, between 7.35pm and 8.50pm on Monday 1 November, stealing jewellery worth approximately £2000, £300 in cash and a folding knife.

Billy Brian Chilcott broke into a pharmacy on the Isle of Wight in the early hours of January 25 with another man. They smashed a window and stole prescription medication and a till. He was arrested after an investigation by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary and later sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court.

Clare Hall acted as the getaway driver for her husband Matthew Hall and an accomplice known as 'Coatsey' in an armed robbery at BetFred on Eastney Road on 6th June. She waited in a BMW while the two men entered the shop, threatened an employee with a meat cleaver, and stole £3,375 from the safe. The robbery failed when the thieves took a wrong turn and could not locate her car. They were arrested shortly afterwards in Devonshire Square, with DNA evidence linking them to the crime.

On December 9th last year, Horsted attended Fareham Police Station to make an enquiry, became verbally abusive towards front desk staff, continued to be abusive, and assaulted an officer outside the station. He also pleaded guilty to offences on September 15th 2020 in Paulsgrove, where he made racially abusive comments to a 33-year-old woman and assaulted a 69-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man at Austin Court, Portsmouth.

Daniel Storey, 35, of Southsea, a violent career criminal with a history dating back to age 12, has 60 convictions for nearly 150 offences. His latest crimes include the robbery of The Jolly Sailor pub in Southsea last October, a domestic burglary last November, and possession of a Class A drug. He has consistently targeted the elderly, disabled, and vulnerable residents of Portsmouth.

David Ward carried out a violent attempted robbery at a Burnett Road address in Gosport on 10 December 2024, during which he inflicted head and hand injuries on a 55-year-old man using a bladed weapon. He also admitted two counts of criminal damage involving roof tiles on Arundel Road and possession of a controlled Class B drug.