Southampton Crown Court Sentencing Results

On 31st October 2023, Bayleigh Howden (27), of Tristan Close, Calshot, followed an 89-year-old pensioner for a mile after the victim pulled out in front of him following collection of his car from a repair garage. Howden drove erratically behind him for five minutes, then approached the victim on his driveway, shouted at him, and pushed him with open palms with such force that he fell, breaking his femur. The victim required surgery, three weeks in hospital, and suffered lasting physical limitations (e.g. unable to garden, walk long distances, play golf) and mental health impacts including anxiety about leaving home.

Andrew Sealey, 39, used an online theme parks forum to lure children to attractions. He arranged to meet a person he believed to be a 15-year-old girl for sex at a park toilet in Hampshire. The 'girl' was actually a vigilante paedophile hunter. He was arrested and pleaded guilty to eight counts of attempting to incite a child to sexual activity and one count of attempting to meet a child after grooming.

Dr Andrew Semple and Samantha Semple-Thomas caused unnecessary suffering to five donkeys (Fire, Sooty, River, Rosie, Ruby) and failed to ensure their needs between January and March 2024 in a field off Hatchet Lane in Beaulieu. RSPCA found donkeys underweight with poor coats, eating mouldy hay, struggling in thick mud, with mud fever and dental ulcers causing painful ulcers. One donkey found dead with missing eye.

On 21 April 2022, at around 8pm in supported living accommodation on Emsworth Road, Lymington, Aaron Low and his victim had been drinking at a pub, bought vodka and energy drinks, and returned home. They had sex during which he bit her cheek and neck causing injury. An argument ensued after she checked her face in the bathroom. Low pushed her to the ground, kicked her repeatedly in the chest and stomach (victim rated pain 10/10), threw her phone against a wall breaking it, dragged her back to his room, and punched her several times. Others heard banging and shouting. Victim sustained three fractured ribs, bite mark on cheek, bruises on neck, collarbones and temples, cuts to left arm. Both were distressed when police arrived; she was treated at Southampton General Hospital.

Alexander Williams, driving home from work at Fawley refinery around 5am, suddenly pulled out into the oncoming lane on the A326 near Hardley roundabout near Fawley, colliding head-on with the victim's van. Williams claimed he followed a car overtaking a slow tanker, but dash cam footage showed no tanker. The victim suffered multiple fractures (ribs, spine, pelvis, leg), lacerated liver, and required cutting from the vehicle. He endured long recovery with anxiety, depression, nightmares, flashbacks, loss of confidence in night driving, constant pain, and inability to fish or stand long.

On 20 July 2021, on School Road in Totton, a 100-year-old cast iron soil pipe fell from a building site, striking a five-year-old boy on the head as he walked past with his mother after school, causing a fractured skull, ongoing headaches, anxiety, and behavioural changes. Jason Scorey had removed the bottom of the pipe but failed to check the rusted nails securing it to the wall or ensure its stability, despite the site being near a school gate during pick-up time.

On 30 June 2024, just before 8pm, Hayden Bryant (21), of Jubilee Close in Fordingbridge, was parked in a narrow lane on Bickerley Road, Ringwood, in a BMW with a passenger, inhaling nitrous oxide (laughing gas) via balloons. Two pedestrians, unknown to him, walked past after leaving The Railway pub. Bryant beeped at them, then revved the engine, swerved the car towards them. One victim jumped to a grass verge but was struck, sustaining a 10cm deep laceration to his knee exposing the kneecap, tyre marks on his foot, requiring surgery to repair tendons, resulting in permanent scar, time off work, constant pain, anxiety, and sleep issues. The car also swerved towards the brother but missed. Bryant fled the scene at speed. He was seen with a balloon in his mouth before impact.

Hannah Marrion, owner of the Citroen C1 involved in the fatal crash, was sentenced for perverting the course of justice after falsely claiming that Lewis Griffiths-Bungard did not have her permission to drive the vehicle.

On 18 September 2015, outside the Turtle Bay restaurant in Southampton, Geoffrey Midmore and Billy Midmore sprayed drain cleaner into the face of the victim during a drugs deal gone wrong. The attack caused severe burns and left the 37-year-old victim blinded in one eye. The pair were convicted of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

On August 12, Frankie Katciotis, 18, from Hythe, was driving a Seat Ibiza and smashed into the victim, a 61-year-old cyclist, from behind on Hilltop Road between Fawley and Beaulieu in the New Forest. He failed to spot the cyclist in time due to speeding well over the 40mph limit and the low, blinding sun.

Ellie May Trewin (19) of Blackfield Road, Fawley, a provisional driver, had been drinking at The Anchor Inn in Totton before driving her Ford Ka home on 16th August 2024. She lost control on a bend on Normandy Way, Marchwood, mounting a grass verge, ploughing into a tree and rolling the car. Her passenger, boyfriend the victim (30), from Holbury, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown from the vehicle and suffered catastrophic internal injuries, dying at the scene. Trewin was almost twice the alcohol limit (roadside breathalyser 69, limit 35; blood test 96, limit 80). Crash caused by inexperience, impairment, likely distraction and excess speed.

Indecent images of children as young as 18 months were found on devices belonging to Keith Clapp (59), of Woodford Close, Ringwood. He was arrested after police searched his home in May 2023 on information received. Devices seized and analysis revealed 67 category A images (most severe), 39 category B, and 2,165 category C images. Children aged between 18 months and 14 years. In interview, denied sexual interest in children or accessing images, suggested previous users stored them.

On 2nd September, Jonathon Schindler (25), of Long Lane, Holbury, sent a voicenote to his ex-partner, who was pregnant and had split from him earlier in the year, stating: “I’ll kill your man, I’ll kill him. Do you know how f***** in the head I am? I will K-I-L-L him.” He stated he did not want her new partner around their children. He was arrested following a no-comment interview. Defence claimed no intention to carry out the threat, only to warn off the new partner, and expressed deep regret.

During a home visit on 14 June, officers found that 26-year-old Jordan Larcombe of Summit Way in Southampton had been messaging a woman over WhatsApp with the ‘disappearing messages’ facility enabled, meaning messages would disappear after 24 hours. In one message, he told the woman she could flirt with him as he had just enabled disappearing messages. He was arrested, charged with breaching his SHPO handed on 5 April 2017, and remanded to court.

Lauren Gould, a 27-year-old mother of two, drove drunk for two miles on the wrong side of the road through Southampton city centre on 21 December at 2:30am. Starting from Southampton Central Train Station, she drove five miles in total, with two miles on the wrong side, narrowly avoiding multiple head-on collisions. She stopped only when a tanker lorry forced her to halt. She admitted dangerous driving and failing to provide a specimen of breath or blood. The judge described her driving as 'appalling' and 'terribly dangerous', saying it was lucky no one was hurt.

Kornel Marcinek, under the influence of a controlled drug and uninsured, drove a vehicle that collided with the victim on Hill Lane, Southampton, at 9.58pm on Friday, July 23. The 33-year-old cyclist suffered serious injuries and died in Southampton General Hospital the following day.

Lewis Griffiths-Bungard killed the 75-year-old victim in a hit-and-run crash in New Milton on March 24, 2022. He struck her with a Citroen C1 as she crossed Old Milton Road and drove off without stopping. He was driving uninsured and unlicensed.

Louis Rumis (82) of Farmers Walk, Everton, possessed over 70,000 indecent images and videos of children on computers, laptops and mobiles at his home. Police found 4,091 category A pictures (most severe) and 232 videos of the same category, 10,445 category B pictures and 40 videos, 60,787 category C pictures and 63 videos. Some children were as young as six months old. Arrested on 11 April 2024, admitted possession, but continued downloading while on bail, leading to more material found in 2025.

Simon Patrick Westwood, aged 46, of Eastleigh exchanged messages, often of a highly sexual nature, with children he believed to be real between January 2021 and October 2021 in the Eastleigh area. He made arrangements and travelled to an agreed location to meet with the child, although the victims were not real. Charged with attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

Dr Andrew Semple and Samantha Semple-Thomas caused unnecessary suffering to five donkeys (Fire, Sooty, River, Rosie, Ruby) and failed to ensure their needs between January and March 2024 in a field off Hatchet Lane in Beaulieu. RSPCA found donkeys underweight with poor coats, eating mouldy hay, struggling in thick mud, with mud fever and dental ulcers causing painful ulcers. One donkey found dead with missing eye.

On a date in December 2015, Samie Bellows and Xavier Whyte used a stolen BMW with false plates to stake out the Sainsbury’s car park in Bitterne precinct, Southampton. When a cash delivery driver collected £30,000, Bellows, concealing his face, chased and ambushed the driver, snatched the cash box, and jumped into the getaway car where Whyte was waiting. They sped off, leaving the driver shaken but unharmed. The cash was never recovered. After CCTV reviews, forensic tests, and mobile phone tracking, both were arrested in early 2016 and later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob at Southampton Crown Court on 27 June 2017.

On the night of December 22, 2017, Samuel Woolley, 27, was driving his Ford Focus along Brownhill Way, Southampton, around midnight when he struck cyclist the victim, 32. The victim died later the same day in hospital. Instead of helping, Woolley fled the scene. Police investigation revealed he had visited three pubs and consumed at least six pints and a Jägermeister shot between mid-afternoon and midnight. An expert used a later breath sample to prove he was over the drink-drive limit at the time of the collision. Woolley's father tipped off police after he confessed to the crash.

Sara Hasell conducted a stalking campaign against her ex-partner after their relationship ended in September 2023. She made false claims to social services, the mother of his children, and police alleging drug use and abuse. She bombarded him with 651 calls in 17 days, 200 calls on another occasion with 100 voicemails, and sent threatening emails including wishes for him to overdose and lose his children. She also targeted his new partner's child with false safety claims, leading to confrontations and separations. This resulted in the victim being unable to see his children for two years, suffering severe psychological harm including an overdose attempt, and impacts on his new partner's family.

On 2 March 2021, during an incident in Eastleigh involving two groups of young people targeting each other with weapons from early afternoon through to evening, Seamus Brenden Sean Ford was seen on CCTV attempting to stab an individual.