At least 15 people were put behind bars before 2024 came to a close. Criminals jailed in the final month of the year included drug dealers, rapists and a murderer.
The latter has been jailed for life after beating his girlfriend to death during an argument in Edenbridge. Meanwhile, two brothers from Gravesend were imprisoned for a combined 25 years after raping a child.
KentLive has rounded up the criminals jailed in December below:
Convicted sex offender who abused child given more time behind bars
Convicted sex offender Ben Hanger, 34, of St Agnes Gardens, Sheerness has been handed a further prison sentence for abusing a child in Gillingham
(Image: Kent Police)
A convicted sex offender has been handed more time behind bars after assaulting a child in Gillingham. Ben Hanger abused the girl between 2016 and 2017.
The offences were reported to Kent Police in 2021. Hanger, 34, was arrested at HMP Elmley, where he is serving a 15-year extended sentence after he was convicted following a trial in December 2022. He was jailed after he attempted to kidnap a schoolgirl in January 2021.
Hanger, of St Agnes Gardens, Sheerness, admitted sexual assault against a girl under 13 and inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity. He was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday (December 4) to four years in jail.
He was also ordered to serve an additional five years on licence. The additional sentencing will be added to his total years to serve.
Predator raped ‘vulnerable’ woman after offering to give her a life home
Seyi Odeyemi, 23, of Adams Drive, Willesborough, Ashford, raped a woman in a hotel in Kent after offering to give her a lift home
(Image: Kent Police)
A convicted sexual predator who raped a ‘vulnerable woman’ after driving her across London and into Kent has been jailed. Seyi Odeyemi approached the victim in Camden, North London, as she was trying to book a taxi at around 11pm on September 3, 2023.
Odeyemi offered to drive her home for half the price and the woman agreed. She got into his car but instead of taking her home, Odeyemi went to a hotel near Northfleet.
The woman appeared semi-conscious and was unable to stand, however, Odeyemi carried and dragged her to a room. Once there he raped the victim. The victim later reported the incident to the police having disclosed her ordeal to a friend.
Investigators identified Odeyemi as the offender and he was arrested on September 7. He was already the subject of a sexual risk order at the time of the rape and had breached its conditions. This included failing to seek the consent of anyone he engaged with in any sexual activity and failing to make them aware of the existence of the order.
Odeyemi, of Adams Drive, Willesborough, Ashford, was later charged with rape and breaching the sexual risk order. He pleaded not guilty and was convicted of both counts on August 14, 2024 following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court.
On December 4, the 23-year-old received an extended sentence of 10 years and six months in prison. Upon his release he is required to complete an additional five years on licence.
Odeyemi will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 20 years and will have to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.
Two brothers from Gravesend jailed for historic child abuse
Girdaware Basra has been jailed
(Image: Kent Police)
Two brothers from Gravesend have been jailed for a combined 25 years after raping a child. The men committed the offences in the 1990s and detectives started an investigation when they received a report from the victim in 2021.
Girdaware Basra, of Northcote Road, Gravesend, and Onkar Basra, of Regent Place, Rugby, Warwickshire, were subsequently charged with raping a girl and unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl. Girdaware Basra was also charged with indecently assaulting a girl.
Both men denied committing the offences and were convicted at Woolwich Crown Court following a trial. On December 6, Girdaware Basra, 68, was jailed for 14 years and Onkar Basra, 57, was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Murderer beat his girlfriend to death during argument about WhatsApp
Huseyin Kalyoncu was arrested
Huseyin Kalyoncu has been jailed for life after beating his girlfriend to death during an argument in Edenbridge. The 34-year-old must serve at least 19 years in prison before he will be considered for parole after being sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on December 11.
The killer was arrested by Kent Police on May 5, 2024 after he knocked Sonia Parker unconscious at the Styles Close home they shared following a dispute over her use of WhatsApp. Paramedics attempted to revive the 51-year-old, but she was pronounced deceased shortly after.
Kalyoncu was arrested in connection with her death and remanded in custody before appearing at Maidstone Crown Court on June 13, where he pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but denied murdering her. During a trial, the court heard how Ms Parker died as a result of some of her 69 injuries, which included internal bruising, damage to her liver, and multiple bone fractures across her body.
A pathologist determined some of the injuries predated her death by weeks. Detective Superintendent Kathleen Way, said: “Kalyoncu killed the woman he allegedly loved after subjecting her to a sustained campaign of physical abuse in the weeks leading up to her death. ‘In denying his part in the murder of Ms Parker, Kalyoncu has subsequently forced the victim’s family and friends to relive their loss over and over again during the court trial.
“His inability to control his temper and abhorrent behaviour means he will now serve a minimum of 19 years’ imprisonment before he will even be considered for parole. ‘I hope his lengthy custodial sentence provides Sonia’s family and friends with some comfort and that the conclusion of the trial will give them time to grieve their loved one.”
Knifepoint robber who targeted children found ‘hiding from police under bed’
(Image: Kent Police)
Cameron Jeffrey used a machete to terrorise victims including children during an evening of knifepoint robberies in and around Cranbrook. The 21-year-old has been jailed for his role in a series of offences, which included victims being warned they would be stabbed and weapons held near their faces.
The robberies took place late on August 4, 2024. Jeffrey – sometimes wearing a balaclava – travelled by car with an associate, seeking out vulnerable and young victims. In one instance, three teenage boys were targeted as they sat on a bench near Cranbrook High Street.
They threatened to harm the victims, amid demands they surrender all their possessions. A knife was held to one of their faces.
On the same night, an 18-year-old man and his girlfriend were approached as they were parked near Headcorn Road, Staplehurst. The victim’s car door was suddenly opened, and a machete was pushed to his throat, amid demands he hand over his wallet.
Jeffrey and his associate left with a bag stolen from the back seat, and they appeared to then drive away. When the victim tried to leave the scene in his car he was confronted again by one of the males, who screamed that the wallet was not in the stolen bag.
He repeatedly struck the windscreen with the machete, causing the glass to break. The victim was only able to make his escape after driving away at speed.
Jeffrey was arrested on August 6. Possessions stolen from the three teenage boys included a mobile phone, and tracking software on the device led to his home near Cranbrook Road, Hawkhurst.
A search warrant was executed and he was found hiding underneath a bed. Further searches led to the recovery of several of the stolen items.
Jeffrey, 21, was charged with multiple counts of robbery and possessing a knife in a public place. He was further charged with stealing a vehicle advertised for sale from an address in Cranbrook on July 9.
Jeffrey pleaded guilty to all the charges at Maidstone Crown Court and on December 12, he was sentenced to four years and eight months’ imprisonment.
Man ‘repeatedly lunged at pensioner with knife’ in vicious attack
Michael Leahy has been jailed
A man who attacked a pensioner while armed with a knife has been jailed. The victim was attacked in Swanley after he knocked on her door and she refused to do his washing.
Michael Leahy has been sentenced to more than six years in prison after he repeatedly lunged at the victim with the weapon and grabbed her throat. Leahy attended the victim’s home near London Road, shortly after 6pm on February 23, 2024.
She had previously cleaned his clothing as a favour because his washing machine was not working. He was intoxicated and when new demands for a tracksuit to be washed were refused Leahy immediately gripped her neck.
At the same time, he was holding a serrated blade which was broken from its handle. Leahy repeatedly jabbed the blade towards her face, stomach and arms.
A struggle ensued for several minutes, before another elderly person came to the victim’s aid, and between them they managed to push Leahy out of the property. The victim narrowly avoided serious injury but suffered cuts, abrasions and bruising.
Leahy, 61, was arrested at the scene by attending officers and the weapon was found discarded in the victim’s home. At Maidstone Crown Court, Leahy admitted a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He denied a more serious charge of attempted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm but was found guilty after a trial. On December 10, Leahy was sentenced to six years and three months in prison.
He will have to serve at least two thirds of the sentence before he can apply for parole.
Former Cranbrook teacher sexually abused pupil
Former Cranbrook teacher Simon Montgomery sexually abused a pupil
(Image: Kent Police)
A former Cranbrook teacher who sexually abused a pupil has been sentenced to prison. Simon Montgomery exploited his position as a boarding school housemaster and science teacher to repeatedly assault a young boy under his care.
Montgomery taught at what was then referred to as Dulwich College Preparatory School. He began grooming his victim by instructing him to stay behind after lessons, before showing him explicit magazines.
This moved on to repeated instances of sexual abuse in both the classroom and at a nearby sports facility. Allegations were reported to Kent Police in 2022 and Montgomery was arrested.
He confessed to officers during interviews, confirming the victim’s name before being asked. Montgomery, of Littlefield Road, Rainham, Gillingham, was charged with two counts of indecent assault and gross indecency with a child.
A further charge was added of making indecent images of a child, in connection with material found on one of his digital devices. The 70-year-old pleaded guilty and on December 19, 2024 was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to three years and four months’ imprisonment.
He was also made subject of a sexual harm prevention order.
Post office robber threatened man with knife before fleeing on moped
Harry Marshall, 20, was jailed after threatening a man with a knife during a robbery at a post office in Broadstairs
(Image: Kent Police)
Harry Marshall, 20, was sentenced to two-and-a-half-years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to the robbery, which took place at Dumpton Post Office on August 3, 2024. Kent Police was called to Ramsgate Road at 6.42am after Marshall threatened his victim with a blade and demanded that money be handed to him.
Marshall fled the post office with cash from the till – dropping an extendable baton in the process – and then left the area on a moped. Officers attended and enquiries led to the swift arrest of Marshall a short while afterwards, after the moped he was riding was spotted nearby.
Cash was also seized following a search. Marshall was charged with robbery, possession of a knife and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place on August 3. He pleaded guilty and on December 19 was jailed for two and a half years at Canterbury Crown Court.
‘Danger to women’ rapist jailed for attacks on two victims
Violent rapist John Cooper, 29, of Whitehill Lane, Gravesend targeted two separate women
(Image: Kent Police)
A violent rapist from Gravesend targeted two separate women and has been jailed for almost 20 years. “Danger to women” John Cooper subjected his victims to an “appalling ordeal”.
Officers received a report in 2023 from a victim alleging Cooper had raped and sexually assaulted her. He had also physically assaulted her and was immediately arrested and taken into custody.
Cooper, of Whitehill Lane, Gravesend, was charged with rape, sexual assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and intentional strangulation. He was remanded in custody – and while detectives were completing their enquiries, they identified a second woman who stated Cooper had put her through a similar ordeal in 2018.
Cooper was produced from prison on May 23, interviewed, and received further charges of rape, sexual assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He pleaded not guilty and was convicted following two separate trials at Woolwich Crown Court.
Cooper, 29, was sentenced on December 20. This includes a custodial period of 18 years and he will have to serve at least two thirds before he can apply for parole.
When he is released from prison, Cooper will have to serve an additional seven years on licence. He will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order and have to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.
Dad and son involved in ‘wholesale’ supply of vast quantities of cocaine
Left to right: Danny Devall, James Steel, and Ashley Steel – all charged with drugs supply offences
(Image: Kent Police)
A father and son from Maidstone were part of an organised crime group which used the encrypted EncroChat phone service to facilitate the supply of vast quantities of cocaine. Ashley Steel and James Steel have now been jailed along with their associate Danny Devall, after an investigation led to the discovery of drugs hidden in places including behind the front grill of a vehicle.
EncroChat, a secure messaging service, was used by James Steel and Devall to secretly communicate with other criminals. It was decoded in the spring of 2020, by international law enforcement agencies.
Some of the decrypted messages were passed to Kent Police and this led to a lengthy investigation which revealed the pair had been using EncroChat user handles including Wonderfulninja, Minorlobster and Prizelake. They directed associates to addresses linked to James Steel’s father Ashley to make exchanges of cash and drugs.
During the early hours of April 25, 2024, a search warrant was executed at James Steel’s home in Chartway Street, Sutton Valence. More than £50,000 in cash was seized as well as vehicles including high-end motorcycles and a speed boat.
At the same time, searches took place at Ashley Steel’s house in Middlesex Road, Maidstone, as well as business units linked to him near Gravelly Bottom Road, Kingswood. 10 kilograms of cannabis and 150g of cocaine were found hidden within vehicles at one of the business addresses. Around £5,000 was also recovered.
The Steels were arrested along with Devall and all three were charged with drugs supply offences. At Maidstone Crown Court, James Steel and Devall pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and conspiracy to supply cannabis.
Further counts related to the supply of heroin and ketamine were ordered by the court to lie on file. James Steel also admitted to possessing cannabis and possessing criminal property (seized cash).
On December 23, Devall, 36, of Common Road, Hadlow, was sentenced to eight years and seven months’ imprisonment. James Steel, 40, received eight years and four months.
Ashley Steel, 61, was previously sentenced on December 5 to two years and two months. He had pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply. He also admitted possessing an offensive weapon (knuckle duster).
Blank firing gun used during fight leads to man being jailed
Muhamet Mahmutaj has been jailed
A man converted a blank gun into a deadly weapon before trying to fire at a rival gang. Muhamet Mahmutaj, 25, has been jailed for five years following the alleged dispute over drugs in Edenbridge, on May 2, 2024.
Fighting broke out in areas around Stanbridge Road and Pine Grove as knives and catapults were used by attackers. Mahmutaj, of Giraud Street in East London, was carrying a blank firing pistol, which had been converted to be capable of firing live rounds.
He made attempts to shoot at the rival males, but it failed to discharge. Attending officers located Mahmutaj at the scene.
He was with a friend who had been stabbed during the fight and he initially claimed they had been set upon by people they didn’t know. Searches led to the recovery of the gun nearby.
An 8mm round which had misfired was found within the barrel. Mahmutaj, 25, of Giraud Street, East London, was charged with possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
He was also charged with affray. He pleaded not guilty at Maidstone Crown Court but was convicted after a trial and then sentenced on December 13.
Medway sex offender breaches court order
Paul Webster’s home was searched
Paul Webster was issued with a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) following his conviction on September 1, 2017 at Maidstone Crown Court, for making indecent images of children. The SHPO had several prohibitions around his use of the internet, alongside a requirement to allow officers to inspect his computers and other devices.
On February 14, 2024, two officers visited Webster’s home and asked him to present any phones or computers in his possession for inspection. He gave the constables a phone that was not enabled for the internet and claimed he had no other devices.
A search of the premises found two internet enabled phones, one under a pillow, 11 USB sticks and a SD card. One of the phones contained indecent images of children including some in the most serious category, and a browser that did not retain internet history.
Webster’s actions were evidence of multiple breaches of his SHPO. Officers also found he had acquired a bank card without notifying the police, in contravention of his sex offender notification requirements. Investigators charged Webster, of Railway Street, Chatham, with making indecent images of a child, failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.
Webster pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court and, on December 20, the 56-year-old was jailed for three years and nine months’ imprisonment.
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