Locked up in Sussex: These are some of the criminals jailed in December
By Matt Pole
Published 7th Jan 2022, 13:35 BST
December was a bumper month for Sussex’s judges, juries and magistrates.
These are some of the most serious, high profile and prolific offenders who were jailed in the final month of 2021
All information comes directly from Sussex Police.
9.
Police were called to West Drive, Brighton, during the early hours of May 13 by a resident reporting his wife had disturbed an intruder inside their home. Officers arrived to discover the suspect standing in the street opposite the property, revealed to be 37-year-old Samuel Wesley of Clifton Avenue, Littlehampton. A search of Wesley found a number of items reported stolen by the victims. While at the scene of the burglary officers came across a fire in an unoccupied building next door, which had caused significant damage to all three floors. Further investigation showed forced entry to the property and scraps of wood spread out along the ground floor which had been set alight, suggesting a deliberate attempt to set fire to the building. Wesley was also found to be in possession of house keys connected to a burglary reported only a few hours earlier in Broad Street, Brighton, in which items worth thousands of pounds were stolen. Wesley was arrested and taken into custody, where he headbutted a police officer Photo: Sussex Police
10.
Liam Ashton, who had been sought by police, was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment when he appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on Wednesday December 8. Ashton, 29, unemployed, of Corbishley Road, Bognor Regis, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to the incident at a property in Hastings Close on June 23, 2021. Photo: Sussex Police
11.
George Vakis was seen riding up and down in London Road, Bexhill at 6.30pm on August 3 on an e-scooter while officers dealt with a separate matter. An officer recognised the 19-year-old and walked towards him and directed him to stop. But Vakis kicked the officer, causing him to lose balance and fall to the pavement. He suffered a wound to his hand as a result. Vakis rode away from the area, but the attending officers recognised him from previous stop checks and were able to arrest him. When he was interviewed, he tried to claim the officers had mistaken his identity despite footage of him captured from a police car and on the officers’ bodyworn cameras. Vakis was shown wearing a distinctive pair of Nike trainers in the footage, and was still wearing them when arrested. At Lewes Crown Court on November 19, Vakis, of Thakeham Close, Bexhill, admitted wounding the officer without intent and was sentenced to one year in detention at a youth offenders’ institution. He also pleaded guilty to driving without a lice Photo: Sussex Police
12.
Warren Valerio, 51, was stopped at Falmer by officers from East Brighton’s Prevention Enforcement Team on November 17. Officers were alerted to the black Volvo travelling under false number plates. PC Kevin Stephenson, investigating, said the vehicle was stopped and the driver was asked to step out. The driver gave a false name to officers and claimed he did not have any identification documents. But officers spotted the genuine registration plates for the Volvo in the boot. The driver was arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation and his identity was later established in custody. Valerio, of Southfields Road, Eastbourne, only held a provisional driving licence, and in 2007 was given a ten-year disqualification and was told he would need to take an extended retest if he wished to drive a vehicle. However since then, he has been caught driving while disqualified 18 times, and has not taken the extended retest required. Valerio appeared before Brighton Magistrates’ Court on November 18 where he adm Photo: Sussex Police