Salisbury Crown Court Sentencing Results

Akiel Jacobs, a Sanctuary Housing worker, attended a tenant's home in Rendells Court, Devizes, on 9 May 2024 for a boiler inspection but returned unannounced on 31 May 2024 to rob the occupants at knifepoint using a machete. During the incident, he stabbed a man in his 30s in the face, causing an injury that sliced his salivary glands and required several months to heal. The victim was treated at the scene by air ambulance medics and later at Great Western Hospital. Jacobs stole £2,150 in cash.

James Owen, a 55-year-old personal trainer, groomed an 18-year-old client with his partner Ellen Rae through text messages discussing sexual assaults and plans for further abuse. He first sexually assaulted the victim by groping her during physical training sessions at his home between January and February 2021. On February 6, 2021, at their home in Salisbury, they plied the victim with drinks and invited her into their hot tub, where Owen raped her and Rae sexually assaulted her. The victim had trusted them, but felt uncomfortable and called a friend for help during the incident.

Ellen Rae, 52, partnered with James Owen to groom an 18-year-old woman by making comments about her body and encouraging Owen's sexual intentions. This grooming occurred over weeks via text messages discussing prior assaults and plans for further abuse. On February 6, 2021, at their home in Salisbury, they plied the victim with drinks during a themed dinner and insisted she try on a heart-shaped nipple piercing, leading to her being sexually assaulted by Rae in their hot tub.

Alan Morris was driving a Vauxhall Insignia at approximately 69mph in a 60mph speed limit on the B3081 between Tollard Royal and Shaftesbury on June 23, 2023, at around 11pm. He fatally struck cyclist Mary Emerson-Reed from behind, despite her being an experienced cyclist with lights on and wearing high-visibility clothing. Forensic evidence showed she was visible from at least 200 metres, contradicting Morris's claim of not seeing her due to oncoming lights.

Christopher Burden was over the drink drive limit, speeding, and overtook a vehicle on a blind bend over solid white lines, leading to a collision with a family's car on the A30 at Donhead St Mary on 17 November 2023. Just 10 minutes prior, he had crashed his motorcycle into a parked car near Shaftesbury and was suspected of being drunk by bystanders. The victims included a woman and two children, with the 10-year-old daughter suffering significant psychological trauma, including nightmares and flashbacks, requiring therapy.