A FATHER who encouraged violent jihad in a speech at his local mosque and a woman who made a "to-do list" to torture and kill an ex-lover were among those jailed this month.
Also facing a stiff sentence behind bars was a man who laundered more than £800,000 from the sale of unlicensed erectile dysfunction drugs.
Defendants appeared in our crown courts during April for a variety of shocking offences and were sent to prison for their crimes in Sussex.
Among them was Abubaker Deghayes, 54, who promoted “jihad by sword” when he addressed worshippers at the Brighton Mosque and Muslim Community Centre.
His two sons died fighting in Syria.
Deghayes, originally from Libya, was found guilty after a trial at the Old Bailey of intending to encourage terrorism in his speech to around 50 people, including children and young adults.
Judge Nigel Lickley, sentencing, described Deghayes’s actions as “reckless” rather than intentional, as he made a speech at a book reading session at the end of prayers on November 1, 2020.
He was seen to make a stabbing gesture when talking about jihad.
Deghayes, of Saltdean, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment and given another year on licence.
Also jailed this month was Mo Phipps, a former nightclub host who laundered more than £800,000 from the sale of unlicensed erectile dysfunction drugs.
Phipps was given the lengthy sentence of three years and four months in connection with the sale of the medication, which is not authorised for use in the UK.
The 35-year-old received payments of more than £810,000 from a website selling Kamagra - an Indian sex performance pill.
Phipps, from Haywards Heath, claimed he was working for a "Mr Big" - and told the court it was more than his life was worth to reveal the identity of the crime boss.
Judge Janet Waddicor said Phipps funded a dissolute and hedonistic life partly with funds from the sex pill business.
She said: “I’m sure Phipps is not the brains of this operation, but he was well aware significant criminal activity was taking place and he was more than willing to make his bank accounts available to facilitate that activity."
The court heard that when police asked to see his bank records, he claimed his dog had eaten his laptop.
Phipps appeared at Lewes Crown Court where he admitted three counts of money laundering between 2012 and 2016.
Also jailed for drug offences was a dealer who used trains to supply heroin and cocaine.
Robert Conna Crozier, 24, from Crawley, was spotted using a burner-style phone by plain-clothed officers at London Waterloo station in December 2021.
The officers approached him and later launched an investigation into the phone’s communication data, which discovered broadcast messages being sent to mass recipients offering the sale of drugs.
Crozier, of Aintree Road, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs, possession with intent to supply heroin and possession with intent to supply cocaine.
He was sentenced to three years and nine months’ imprisonment at Lewes Crown Court.
Meanwhile, a man who injured two police officers by ramming them with his car was also jailed.
Dale Crozier was stopped by officers near Brighton Marina on February 1 while driving a Volkswagen Touran that had been stolen from a driveway two days earlier.
Despite being boxed in by several police cars, the 31-year-old attempted to force his way out, injuring two officers in the process.
Crozier, of no fixed address, was charged with three counts of burglary, aggravated vehicle taking, driving while disqualified and without insurance and possession of a pointed article in a public place.
He pleaded guilty to all charges, and was sentenced to 24 months in prison, following a hearing at Lewes Crown Court.
A teenager who stabbed a man following a fight is also facing a lengthy spell behind bars after being sentenced at the crown court in Lewes.
Harvey Beckett, 18, of Burnham Place in Horsham, was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment after stabbing a 22-year-old man three times in an altercation in the early hours of October 2 last year.
The victim, also from Horsham, was in East Street in the town and had thrown a bottle at his friend, which missed and hit another person nearby.
The man was then approached by three men he did not know. One knocked fast food out of the victim’s hand, another repeatedly punched him in the face, and a third stabbed him three times in the torso.
The victim was taken to hospital for treatment and later discharged.
Beckett was arrested in London six days later and charged with causing grievous bodily harm, possession of a knife in public, and possession of cannabis.
He appeared at Lewes Crown Court on April 1, where he was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, consisting of four years in a young offenders' institution and three years on extended licence.
Emergency services are used to people reporting fires during 999 calls but one woman was jailed after repeatedly dialling the service - to report fires she had started herself.
Amy Winter, 42, of Trefoil Crescent in Crawley, called police, fire crews and paramedics to an address in Brighton multiple times on Christmas Eve in 2020.
During one of the incidents the crews were threatened and assaulted when they attempted to help Winter.
At Lewes Crown Court she was sentenced to 28 months in prison after pleading guilty.
Investigator Rose Horan said: “Amy Winter’s reckless behaviour endangered the lives of her neighbours, firefighters and the wider public.
“She deliberately started fires and was aggressive towards members of the emergency services.
“All of the police officers, paramedics and firefighters who attended on Christmas Eve displayed incredible patience with her.
“This custodial sentence should send a message to her and others not to waste the valuable time and resources of the emergency services."
Finally, in one of the most shocking cases this month a woman was jailed for plotting to kidnap, torture and murder a former lover by following a detailed “to-do list”.
Sophie George, 20, of Highbrook Close, Brighton, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
The court heard that around midnight on Saturday, October 10, 2020, George, who was 18 at the time, arranged to be picked up by the man.
On the way to his house she asked if they could take a detour, during which she jumped out and collected two filled shopping bags.
As the pair continued on their journey, George became insistent they drive to a nearby park and on several occasions grabbed the wheel.
As the driver – a 23-year-old man – resisted, George pulled out a knife in Selsfield Drive and threatened him.
A search of her address later found a number of notes in the form of "to-do lists", featuring plans including “drive to grave site”, “tourture [sic]” and “walk him to site, kill and bury”.
George was subsequently charged with attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon, to which she pleaded guilty in May 2021.
She was jailed this month for 13 and a half years following sentencing at Lewes Crown Court.
READ MORE: Crawley man found guilty of raping girl aged ‘five or six’
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