16 Essex criminals who have been in court in August named and …
As we reach the end of the summer, more criminals in Essex have been locked away – and the variety of crime just keeps on increasing. This past month we have seen a peadophile travel the world to abuse children and keep a diary, plus a thug who stole £1,300 from a Co-Op store and left staff feeling “helpless”.
We have also seen shoplifters banned from various stores in the county following a raft of thefts from them, plus a vile domestic abuser who threw a hoover, welly and pint glass at his victim.
Below is a list of all of these criminals and their crimes which have landed them with substantial time behind bars throughout the month of August 2023.
The man involved in a murder over mistaken identity
Rashid Gedel (Image: Met Police)
Met detectives carried out painstaking phone and CCTV work to place the defendants at the scene of the murder of Sven Badzak, and in regular contact with each other. Rashid Gedel, 22, of Fenman Gardens, Ilford and Shiroh Ambersley, 23, of Matthews Close, Wembley were each jailed for 27 years for the murder of Sven[2] and 12 years (concurrent) for Section 18 GBH against a then 16-year-old male – the victim’s friend.
Prior to the stabbing, Gedel and Ambersley walked into a bakery on Kilburn High Road, Kilburn and were clearly seen to stare at two females stood at the counter, before leaving without buying anything. Detectives believe this was an indication that they were actively looking for someone to attack.
Sven and his friend were walking further along the same road, having visited a supermarket. The friend was watching a football match on his phone. Unbeknownst to them, Gedel was fast approaching them from behind. As Gedel got closer to the pair he was joined by Ambersley and Canavan who, until that point, had been on the other side of the road.
When they reached the victims they were heard to say “What are you on?” before stabbing Sven in the chest and the second victim in his back. Sven managed to run a short distance before collapsing in the street.
The sexual abuser who left his victim “petrified”
Derek Withers has been jailed for ten years for sexually abusing two people (Image: Essex Police)
Derek Withers, 68 of Bowes Road, New Southgate appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday (July 27) where, following a week-long trial he was sentenced to ten years in prison after being found guilty[3] of sexual offences against two children. Withers was arrested in December 2020 after two victims bravely contacted Essex Police to report the crimes.
Following an investigation by the Child Abuse Investigation Team, Withers was charged with indecent assault of a girl under 13, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13 and assault of a girl under 13. The victims were assisted by the police and an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) from CARA (Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse) who provide direct support for those surviving after sexual abuse.
The paedophile who travelled across the world to abuse children
Christopher Behn who has been jailed for six years at Chelmsford Crown Court (Image: Essex Police)
The National Crime Agency (NCA) along with Europol and Dutch authorities identified that Christopher Behn, 68, was a member of a Europe-wide network who travelled together to abuse children[4] across the globe.
Behn, from Colchester, is serving nine years in prison for a snapshot of his offending – the abuse of 11 children in Myanmar in 2016. He was arrested at Gatwick Airport by the NCA in February 2020, after investigators identified him as appearing in images with another member of the network, a Dutch man who was convicted in the Netherlands.
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Behn was detained by officers before he could board a flight to Vietnam. A number of the electronic devices officers seized from him were encrypted, however forensic work led to the recovery of photographs taken by Behn of him abusing children in Myanmar. He was prosecuted for these offences, but it became clear he was involved in offending on a much larger scale, and the investigation continued.
The thug who stole £1,300 and left shop staff ‘helpless’
Billy Bugby has been jailed (Image: Essex Police)
Billy Bugby, 32, of Longbridge Road, Barking, admitted the robbery of the Co-Op store in Stanford-le-Hope, Thurrock on April 29 this year.
Bugby and accomplice Daniel Dash, 30, entered the store shortly after 9.30pm, before proceeding to access the area behind the tills. He pulled open a drawer and removed bottles of alcohol and cigarettes, also taking scratch cards from the till area.
The goods were stashed in a bag before the pair left the shop[8]. Witnesses reported seeing a knife and said threats were made towards staff. CCTV footage of them was obtained and just over a week later Bugby was spotted by an officer on patrol on Barking on May 7.
He was arrested and charged with robbery and at Basildon Crown Court on August 8 he was sentenced to two years in jail. Dash, of no fixed address, was arrested on 5 May and is due to be sentenced on Thursday, November 2.
The abuser who threw household items at his partner
32-year-old Ben Barnsley, of Ronald Road, Halstead, launched an attack on a woman at a property in Tendring in January this year. (Image: Essex Police)
32-year-old Ben Barnsley, of Ronald Road, Halstead, launched an attack on a woman at a property in Tendring in January this year.
After shouting abuse, he threw the welly and hoover at her, which struck the victim to her head. When she went upstairs to check herself over for injuries, Barnsley pushed her onto a bed and put his hands on her neck, applying pressure and restricting her breathing for several seconds.
After she managed to break free, Barnsley proceeded to throw a pint glass at her, which struck her and smashed, cutting her hands. Barnsley fled the address when his victim dialled 999.[9] She was left with cuts, a bruise below her eye and a bruise on her neck. Essex Police arrested Barnsley the following day on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The man who stabbed his friend to death with a zombie knife
Perry Coulson has been convicted of murdering his friend Dominic Clark-Ellingford (Image: Essex Police)
Perry Coulson of Lesney Gardens, Rochford, appeared at Basildon Crown Court on August 11 where he was sentenced to life in prison, to serve a minimum 16 years.
A murder investigation was launched on Friday, November 25, 2022, following reports of a man being seriously assaulted at an address in Lesney Gardens, Rochford. Despite the best efforts of emergency services at the scene, 32-year-old father of two Dominic Clark-Ellingford died at the scene.
The call to police came from a family member of Perry Coulson, who he had called for help shortly after the assault. When police arrived, Coulson was sat outside the front of the address in a car. He was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Whilst in custody, Coulson made a number of significant comments[10] including saying “this is what alcohol and cocaine causes, it’s my friend, that was my mate, I can’t believe it.”
The gang who hid £18,000 in concrete
Clockwise from top left: Jimmy Heary, Sheralee Heary, Nicholas Axford and Jasmine Burrows (Image: Essex Police)
Officers carried out simultaneous dawn raids at locations in Canvey Island and Billericay on February 8 last year to tackle the organised crime group’s activities that operated between 2017 and February 2022. At just one address, cash concealed in plastic boxes were found hidden in concrete[11] that, when smashed open, revealed almost £19,000. In total, more than £82,000 cash was seized that day.
One of the group, Jimmy Heary, 59, was arrested at a business address in Furtherwick Road, Canvey Island where officers found £3,685 cash and seized three mobile phones. When they searched his car, a bag containing 63 wraps of cocaine was found.
Meanwhile, at his home address in Oak Road, Crays Hill, officers found a large amount of designer counterfeit fashion items when they entered the property. Sheralee Heary, 52, was home in Oak Road when officers searched the address where they found drug paraphernalia including packaging that matched the drug wraps found at the Canvey Island address.
Officers also found £7,000 cash and more mobile phones. Other arrests made that morning included Jade Sandell, Nicholas Axford and Jasmine Burrows. Police found messages on various phones linking the members of the group, showing that Connal Regan, 28, formerly of Canvey Island was the kingpin in the operation.
The crooks who dressed as police officers to raid homes
Madion Gjonaj and Florin Doci were involved in an armed burglary (Image: Cambs Police)
This group of crooks, who were armed with guns, hammer and crowbars – have been jailed for a combined total of more than 50 years.
Police were called just after 4am on August 4 last year with reports of a disturbance at a house in Sheringham Way, Orton Longueville, Cambridgeshire. A group of five men – Olsi Cakoni, Florin Doci, Tom Dodaj, Malesio Gjonaj, and one person who remains unknown – posed as police officers and armed themselves with guns, hammers, and crowbars.
They forced their way into the home which had been used to stash large amounts of cash[12]. The five men left the house with a large bag containing what is believed to be a large amount of cash and class-A drugs.
They climbed garden fences and dropped some of the weapons and police uniforms, which were later recovered by police. A van used by the group to arrive at the house was dumped in Peterborough. It was later recovered by police, who found some of the fake police uniforms in the back, along with zip ties, a remote CCTV camera and two firearms – one of which was an imitation, the other a viable, loaded handgun.
The woman banned from Boots, Co-Op and Matalan for shoplifting
Sally Burrows has been jailed and barred from six stores for five years (Image: Essex Police)
Essex Police have given Sally Burrows a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) due to her previous history of stealing produce, meaning she is banned from setting foot in the same stores.
The 48-year-old of no fixed address has also been jailed after admitting five counts of thefts from a shop, one count of assault by beating and another charge of failing to provide a sample for a drugs test. On August 16 she was jailed for 24 weeks and was issued the five-year CBO.
The court decided that, due to Burrow’s repeat offending and the nature of her offences, she would have to be sent to prison. Burrows was ordered to pay compensation of £160 in relation to the assault.
The heroin dealer calling himself “Big D”
Sindujan Chandran ran a heroin and crack cocaine supply line called “Big D” (Image: Essex Police)
Sindujan Chandran tried to escape justice by fleeing across the country to Leicestershire, but has now been jailed for his county lines exploits.
Chandran, 33, was identified as the holder of the ‘Big D’ drug line,[13] which has operated in Southend since May 2022. Essex Police’s Op Raptor team became aware of the line during a separate investigation into an unrelated drugs line and in November of 2022, they discovered messages advertising the sale of crack cocaine and heroin.
Over the course of the next five months, officers found the messages came from a particular mobile phone number and traced that back to Chandran. Chandran had topped up that mobile phone number with credit, and located him topping it up on CCTV.
The man banned from all the Co-Op stores
Charlie Hunt-Wragg has been banned from all Co-Op stores in Chelmsford (Image: Essex Police)
Prolific shoplifter Charlie Hunt-Wragg, of Maldon High Street, is barred from entering any of the chain’s stores in the city for three years.
On August 23, Colchester Magistrates’ Court[14] granted a three-year criminal behaviour order (CBO) against the 23-year-old which forbids him from entering any Co-op store in Chelmsford during that time. He is also banned from entering the High Chelmer Shopping Centre in Chelmsford and from remaining in any shop or commercial premises if staff ask him to leave.
Hunt-Wragg was also ordered to carry out 50 hours of unpaid work[15] and to pay a £114 victim surcharge. He had previously admitted three counts of theft from the Co-op store in Melbourne Avenue on June 13 and 16 and July 6, and one relating to the store in Havengore on June 26.
He also admitted stealing from Bodycare in the High Chelmer Shopping Centre on June 28 and from the Co-op store in Torquay Road, Springfield, on July 3 and 13. Household products, including washing detergent, toiletries, confectionery, pet food and litter were among the items he stole.
The arsonist who started a fire after a row
Edward Teagle (Image: Essex Police)
Police said Edward Teagle put residents’ lives at risk when he used a lighter to start a blaze in a communal hallway earlier this year. Essex Police[16] said Teagle, 34, had attended a party before the incident on the third floor of a building in Harwich that housed a set of multi-occupancy flats. While at the party, he had an argument with his partner.
Police said Teagle was “angry and intoxicated”[17], and that he left the flat and went down to the second floor, where he used a lighter to set “several curtains and the carpet” alight in the communal hallway. The building’s alarm system then went off and the fire was put out by residents alerted by the sound and the smoke.
References
- ^ Essex school told it must close over fears of crumbling concrete as MP claims more are at risk (www.essexlive.news)
- ^ ere each jailed for 27 years for the murder of Sven (www.essexlive.news)
- ^ he was sentenced to ten years in prison after being found guilty (www.essexlive.news)
- ^ a Europe-wide network who travelled together to abuse children (www.essexlive.news)
- ^ court (www.essexlive.news)
- ^ signing up to EssexLive’s weekly Court & Crime newsletter. (www.essexlive.news)
- ^ press here (www.essexlive.news)
- ^ The goods were stashed in a bag before the pair left the shop (www.essexlive.news)
- ^ Barnsley fled the address when his victim dialled 999. (www.essexlive.news)
- ^ made a number of significant comments (www.essexlive.news)
- ^ cash concealed in plastic boxes were found hidden in concrete (www.essexlive.news)
- ^ which had been used to stash large amounts of cash (www.essexlive.news)
- ^ was identified as the holder of the ‘Big D’ drug line, (www.essexlive.news)
- ^ Colchester Magistrates’ Court (www.essexlive.news)
- ^ Hunt-Wragg was also ordered to carry out 50 hours of unpaid work (www.essexlive.news)
- ^ Essex Police (www.essexlive.news)
- ^ Police said Teagle was “angry and intoxicated” (www.essexlive.news)