A paedophile gardener, a machete-wielding attacker and drug gang members are among those who have been jailed in September in Sussex.
William Djama
Prolific burglar William Djama broke into four properties over a three-week period.
Djama, of no fixed address, targeted homes across Brighton and Hove in December 2022, stealing items he would later sell at pawn shops.
Police were first made aware of the 35-year-old’s burglaries on December 10, following a break-in overnight in Centurion Road in Brighton. A downstairs window had been broken and a number of items stolen.
Four days later, a resident of Somerhill Avenue in Hove disturbed Djama as he was stealing electrical items and chased him out of a downstairs window.
On December 19, another burglary was reported in Springfield Road.
Downstairs windows were damaged and a man later identified as Djama was seen leaving the scene.
A fourth break-in was reported on December 30 in Queensbury Mews, believed to have taken place on December 23.
He was arrested on January 4, charged with four counts of burglary and remanded in custody.
At Lewes Crown Court on Friday, September 8, Djama was jailed for a total of five years and nine months after being found guilty of all charges and activating a suspended sentence handed down in August, 2022, for previous burglaries.
Read the full story here.
Connor Hyland-Whiting
Connor Hyland-Whiting attacked a pubgoer in the street with a machete after an argument.
Lewes Crown Court heard how Hyland-Whiting stabbed the man following an altercation inside a pub in London Road, Bexhill, on February 24 this year.
Hyland-Whiting and the victim had to be separated by security staff, and witnesses described Hyland-Whiting as becoming “irate” and assaulting a security guard.
After being removed, he was later seen emerging from a vehicle with a machete and assaulting the victim in the town centre before running off.
The victim suffered injuries consistent with a stabbing and required hospital treatment.
The 25-year-old had also committed similar offences in the town.
A month earlier, Hyland-Whiting was involved in separate violent incidents.
He was also involved in an affray at a premises in Mount Road, Hastings, in the early hours of January 22, where he was seen holding a knife.
Following a public appeal, he was located at a holiday park in Camber Sands and was arrested and charged with the violent offences.
At Lewes Crown Court on September 11, he admitted wounding with intent, possession of an offensive weapon, possession of a knife, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and affray.
He was sentenced to a total of five years in prison, with an additional four years on his licence period.
Full story here.
John Gosling
Former gardener John Gosling raped two teenage girls.
Gosling’s “appalling abuse” of the two girls included raping them as well as other sexual abuse.
The 49-year-old, of Three Bridges, was convicted of 11 offences at Lewes Crown Court on September 14.
The offences, which dated in the late 2000s and late 2010s, included raping a girl under the age of 13 and raping a girl between the ages of 13 and 15.
The court was told how the victims, who are not known to each other, came forward and disclosed the sexual abuse they had been subjected to.
Gosling, also known as John Guile, was told he will have to serve a minimum of ten and a half years before he can be considered for parole.
Read the full story here.
Harley Roberts
Harley Roberts was a member of a drug gang which used children as "disposable cannon fodder".
Four children were used to deal crack cocaine and heroin around Brighton and Hove in 2020.
The gang which 25-year-old Roberts was part of supplied around 8,000 wraps of Class A drugs in the city with a street value of around £80,000.
This was the second iteration of what police called the "Hector" line which was first dismantled after a two-year operation that saw ten men jailed for a total of more than 64 years.
Roberts was sentenced at Hove Crown Court on Thursday, September 14.
He was jailed for seven years and four months for supplying crack cocaine and heroin, and conspiracy to commit a modern slavery offence.
Full story here.
Daniel Ghasemi
Police found Daniel Ghasemi and Reggie Gwyer dealing drugs in Manchester Street, Brighton on September 7, 2022.
Ghasemi was arrested and found with a large amount of cash and a white Nokia phone.
It received a call from a county line known as the "Boss" line while officers were there.
The 37-year-old was one of four drug dealers to be arrested and later charged with being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin.
At Lewes Crown Court on Friday, September 15, Ghasemi, of North Road, Brighton, was jailed for two years.
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