Sussex defendants jailed for their crimes in May

In one of the most horrific crimes to take place in the city in recent years, four men received life sentences after murdering Billy Henham.

Dushane Meikle, 28, and Gregory Hawley, 29, were each sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years, while Lamech Gordon-Carew, 20, and 19-year-old Alize Spence each received minimum terms of 18 years for the brutal crimes.

The 24-year-old, from Henfield, was subjected to a “sustained and significant” fatal assault from punches, kicks and stamps, the court heard.

All had been found guilty of murder.

Hove Crown Court had heard that Hawley had refused to attend court for sentencing because he didn't "feel well” while Meikle also refused to attend as he was unable to access legal documents.

The presiding judge, His Honour Justice John Cavanagh, attacked their "lack of moral character" after failing to appear at the sentencing.

He said none of the defendants had shown any remorse for the murder, and Gordon-Carew and Spence showed no emotion as they were sentenced.

Several sex offenders also received lengthy prison sentences from the courts in Sussex this month.

A rapist who was “determined to get drunk and determined to have sex with anyone” was jailed for seven years after a “vicious and opportunistic” attack on a woman in her home.

Glen Noone was jailed for seven years after he was found guilty of rape

Glen Noone, of Lammas Close in Littlehampton, was sentenced at Chichester Crown Court on May 11.

The 33-year-old was found guilty of raping the woman at her home in Lewes in October 2019.

Noone’s victim said it was an attack by a man she “trusted” who “betrayed that trust in the most terrible way”.

Meanwhile, a flasher who exposed himself to four schoolgirls has also been locked up.

Monuzar Hussain Hamza, a stock taker, followed the girls, aged 14 and 15, along Moat Road in East Grinstead at around 3pm on February 14.

The 34-year-old whistled to get their attention and called out to them before exposing himself and “acting indecently towards them” after they turned to face him.

The girls shouted back at him and he ran off, returning to a nearby hotel.

The incident was reported to police who did house-to-house enquiries and checked CCTV and Hamza was arrested within 48 hours and charged with exposure.

He was later imprisoned for 26 weeks.

Other sex offenders who are facing a long spell behind bars include a man who raped a young girl over a five-year period.

Keith Alan Fairbrother assaulted the girl in the early 2000s, when he was in his 40s.

The assaults took place over a five-year period when the girl was in her early teens.

Fairbrother had come to know the victim’s family over time and used this friendship to exploit her.

The 59-year-old was convicted of four offences of rape and three offences of sexual assault by penetration.

Keith Alan Fairbrother assaulted the girl in the early 2000s, when he was in his 40s

At Chichester Crown Court, Fairbrother, of Glovers Lane, Bexhill, was sentenced to 18 years in prison after a two-week trial.

Meanwhile, a court was told how a pharmacist sold painkillers to a drug dealer to flood the streets with around £250,000 worth of a deadly and highly addictive opioid drink.

Shamil Amin, 34, was working as a manager at two pharmacies – one in Horsham and another in Croydon - when he began illegally selling pharmaceuticals, predominantly codeine, through a supply chain to 26-year-old Daniel Tillyard.

Tillyard used the products to make "lean", a syrup-based opioid drink typically consisting of a cocktail of substances including codeine and promethazine.

At Guildford Crown Court, Amin was sentenced to two years and five months in prison, while Tillyard, of Bethnal Green, east London, was jailed for six years and nine months.

During earlier hearings, Amin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B drugs.

Tillyard admitted six counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, four counts of conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and two counts of conspiracy to supply Class C drugs.

Meanwhile, a man has been jailed for historic sexual offences against a young girl.

Thomas Orr, of Hastings, was found guilty of indecency with a child and indecent assault on a child.

Both charges related to offences committed in the early 1980s on a girl who was known to him.

At Brighton Crown Court, Orr was sentenced to a total of five years and six months in prison for both offences.

The 67-year-old will also be a registered sex offender for life.

The court also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which forbids Orr, of Priory Road, Hastings, from having unsupervised contact with children.

It prevents him from residing or working with children and young people, or approaching or talking with children.

Finally, a Brighton and Hove City Council worker has been jailed for 30 months after pleading guilty to attempting to meet a young girl for sex. 

Gary Frape, 56, who worked in buildings and maintenance for the local authority, was arrested and charged for a string of sexual offences last year. 

Frape, of Honeycrag Court, Polegate, was sentenced at Chichester Crown Court on May 3 after pleading guilty to attempting to cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity. 

He also pleaded guilty to an offence of adult attempt to engage in sexual communication with a child, and pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and adult attempt to engage in sexual communication with a child. 

There were no separate penalties for these offences. 

READ MORE: Man pleads guilty to stabbing with scissors in 'vicious' attack