Here is our monthly look back at some of the criminals jailed in Suffolk and north Essex courts in April.
A Newmarket man who sexually abused a young girl was jailed for 17 years.
Adam Heslop, 26, of Islinglass Close, subjected a girl under 13 to “horrific” abuse over two years. He admitted nine offences, including rape, but police said he showed no remorse. He had told his victim to keep it a secret, but she opened up to her mother at Halloween 2016.
A teenager from Ipswich who tried to sell silverware stolen from a church was sent to prison for 26 weeks.
Ionut Avadanei, 19, of Crescent Road, attempted to sell items which had been taken from St Mary and St Botolph Church, in Whitton, just days earlier. He claimed he did not know they had been stolen, and was selling them on behalf of an acquaintance who had inherited them.
A four-man gang of burglars received total sentences of 33 years after stealing more than £200,000 worth of property.
George Robinson, 30, of Holland Road, Clacton, was jailed for seven years, David Speed, 29, and Alan Speed, 32, both of no fixed address, were each jailed for 10 years, and Jimmy Stevens, 37, also of no fixed address, received a six-year sentence. The gang, who targeted homes and shops across five counties, including Suffolk and Essex, were identified after DNA was found on a half-eaten pasty.
A man who preyed on young boys in Clacton in the 1970s and 80s was jailed for 18 years.
Leslie Bryan, 64, of Dawley, Shropshire, was described as a “dangerous and prolific” paedophile, and found guilty of 13 offences against three boys under 16.
A Witham man involved in smuggling £8million worth of drugs was sent to prison for six years.
Leslie Muffett, 59, of Campbell Road in the town, was convicted of being part of a gang of four criminals. He drove the lorry that carried liquid amphetamine, a class B drug, across the border from Belgium in 2016.
A burglar who climbed in through the bathroom window of a Colchester home received a jail term of two years, 10 months.
Solomon Loveridge, 42, of Yeldham Road, Ridgewell, stole items including jewellery and a games console, but was caught as a result of DNA evidence when his blood was found on a window.
An Essex man was jailed for 18 months after police stopped his car and found a child sitting on a samurai sword.
Jamie Hayden, 38, of Waldergraves Lane, West Mersea, had also left two other children under nine at his home alone, with drugs in the property. After being released under investigation, Hayden drove to south London and used a metal pole to threaten people at a house.
An Ipswich motorist who escaped being hit by a freight train by just one second was sentenced to 12 months in jail.
Giedrius Puisys, 38, of Camden Road, ignored warning lights at a level crossing at Purdis Farm. He admitted endangering safety on a railway and driving while disqualified.
A prolific shoplifter from Ipswich was given 26 weeks in jail after admitting seven counts of thefts from shops and asking for six more to be taken into consideration.
Lee McLaughlin, 28, of Defoe Road, already had 47 convictions for 209 offences, and tested positive for drugs when arrested for his most recent crimes.
A Suffolk man who assaulted a father and son in a park was given a 45-month jail term.
Stephen Pryce, 25, of Anglian Place, hit his two victims over the face during a disagreement over a bike sale. He also threatened to stab one of them.
A “persistent” burglar targeting homes in Ipswich was jailed for 54 months after his latest two offences.
Michael Harvey, 39, of no fixed address, was convicted of a burglary and an attempted burglary. It was the fifth time he had been sentenced since 1999, and the judge said he was jailing him to help the residents of Ipswich to “feel safe” from his offending.
Brandishing a stun gun at a group of teenage girls led to a man being jailed for five years.
John Garrett, 49, of no fixed abode, waved the stun gun at Clacton railway station. After being arrested, he approached two of the girls two days later, and threatened and shouted at them.
An Ipswich man who drove his car into a neighbour in a “blind rage” was jailed for two years, seven months.
Matthew Jarman, 42, of Eustace Road, left his victim with a knee injury. He got out of his car with an axe, threw it down and fought with another neighbour.
A 26-year-old from Ipswich who stabbed a homeless man in the town centre received a seven-and-a-half year jail term.
Jamie Phillips, 26, of Cavendish Lodge, prepared himself for the attack by going back to his accommodation, where he armed himself with a knife.
A man from Ipswich, previously convicted of rape, was jailed for nine years for raping another woman.
Stephen Sherger, 53, of Derby Close, Ipswich, was found guilty of seven counts of rape, dating back more than a decade. He had been released from prison three years ago after serving a previous sentence.
A Braintree drug dealer received a four-and-a-half year jail term.
Carl Jervis, 34, of St Mary’s Road, Leyton, was caught when police approached his car in Braintree, and found him holding 16 wraps of Class A drugs heroin and crack cocaine. He was found guilty of two counts of possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply, obstructing a police constable and money laundering.
An Ipswich man who tried to smash his way into his female neighbour’s flat with an axe was jailed for 12 months.
Martin Saltiel, 48, of Skylark Lane, also smashed the kitchen window of the flat on the morning of New Year’s Day. The attack led to his neighbour fearing for her life and led to an armed police siege.
A drug dealer who drove at police while trying to escape arrest in Clacton was jailed for two-and-a-half years.
Paul Oakley, 28, of no fixed abode, injured three officers in the incident, after they approached his car suspecting a drug deal. He reversed his vehicle, hitting an officer with his open door and an unmarked police car with two officers inside.
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