Justice has been served on dozens of people who committed crimes and were jailed for their offences this month.

Here are just some of the criminals, including abusers, drug-dealers, killers, thugs and perverts, who have been locked up in November.

Nathan Turner, Zach Cutting, Ray Renda, Glen Hough, Fabian Szymula and Jonathan Hedges

The remaining six members of a gang which “brutally” killed a man during a cannabis robbery were jailed.

Xhovan Pepaj was fatally stabbed in December 2021 when the group travelled down to the county and tried to steal cannabis plants from a property he was in.

Officers were called to the home in Caley Road, Tunbridge Wells, after some of the plants were found discarded along the same road and after accessing the building, Mr Pepaj was found with multiple stab wounds.

The 25-year-old was declared deceased at the scene and following a long investigation, seven of the gang were jailed in September, with the remaining six being sentenced last month at Hove Crown Court.

Ray Renda, 23, of Albany Road, Brentwood, Essex had previously pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court to counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to commit robbery and he was jailed for six years.

Jonathan Hedges, 26, Nathan Turner, 30, Zach Cutting, 25, Glen Hough, 52, and Fabian Szymula, 21, were all found guilty of conspiracy to rob, with Hedges, of Walton Road, Romford, jailed to two years and six months.

Turner, of Myrtle Road, Warley, Brentwood, was jailed for six years after he was also convicted of possessing cannabis with intent to supply, while Cutting, of Roundhills, Waltham Abbey, Essex, was jailed for three years and Hough, of Larchwood Gardens, Pilgrims Hatch, Essex, was locked up for four years and six months.

Szymula, of Callan Grove, South Ockendon, was sentenced to two years and six months and he was also been found guilty of perverting the course of justice, in relation to a note passed to a defendant during trial.

Norman Samura

A county lines drug dealer who supplied crack cocaine and heroin across a town which he hid in his living room was jailed for seven years.

Police began looking into the “H” drug supply line dealing class A drugs in Dartford in October last year.

A mobile number was found being used to send bulk text messages and following enquiries it was linked to Norman Samura, of Spindle Close, Woolwich.

On June 1 officers attended the 25-year-old’s home address where they carried out a search and while inside the property located the mobile phone used to send the text messages.

Police also found deal bags filled with white powder and white and yellow pills and during the search, a “hide” was found in the living room filled with cash and deal bags.

The hide also held keys for three cars, a BMW, an Alpha Romeo and a Hyundai Ioniq and it was confirmed these cars were on false plates and each vehicle had been reported stolen from addresses in London and Bexleyheath.

Samura was arrested and later charged with possession with intent to supply crack cocaine, being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin and three charges of handling stolen goods and admitted the charges last month and was jailed at Maidstone Crown Court for four years.

He was handed an additional sentence of three years after he admitted similar offences in Surrey.

Ricky Hodgkins

A prolific thief who swiped alcohol from shops, smashing bottles in one and downing wine in another, claimed Elon Musk was controlling his mind.

Ricky Hodgkins, from Margate, told magistrates the business tycoon inserted a chip into his brain which sent him on the chaotic crime spree around his hometown.

The 44-year-old was arrested while targeting several shops in two days, after breaking bottles in Morrisons and stuffing another bottle down his trousers.

Following his arrest, he initially refused to accept responsibility for his actions, instead manifesting a story about Mr Musk controlling his bodily functions with a chip in his head.

But Hodgkins, who has previous convictions for stealing, was sentenced at Margate Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to six counts of theft.

The court heard last month he targeted Morrisons, Savers, Iceland and Aldi in Margate over a two-day spree in July.

Magistrates were told Hodgkins was homeless at the time of his offending and drinking heavily, but they jailed him for 168 days for all the offences.

However, Hodgkins was released immediately following the hearing given time already served on remand but was ordered to pay court costs of £650 as well as £16.97 in compensation to two of the shops from which he stole.

Nyron Scott

A man who stabbed another four times near a town centre nightclub was locked up.

The victim went into a venue in Rose Yard, Maidstone, with some friends on Saturday, May 6, but when he left at around 2.30am became involved in an altercation with Nyron Scott.

Scott then stabbed him with a knife four times causing cuts to his face and arms before leaving.

Bystanders rushed to give the injured man, who was in his 20s, first aid and he was taken to hospital.

Police officers attended the scene and security staff identified Scott and provided a CCTV image to assist in the search. He was found nearby in Pudding Lane shortly after and he was later charged.

The weapon the 24-year-old had used in the assault was also retrieved from where he had left it in Earl Street.

Scott, of Wantage Road, Reading, appeared at Maidstone Crown Court and was sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment last month, after pleading guilty to wounding.

DC Kim Bashford, of Maidstone CID, said: “Scott is now serving a prison sentence and those who consider carrying bladed weapons should be left in no doubt that they are likely to suffer the same consequences.”

Nailey Easter

A thug who bit his ex-girlfriend's cheek before branding a police officer a "suicide bomber" in a racist tirade was jailed.

Nailey Easter, from Deal, lashed out at the woman in front of their two children after he was said to have taken 10 Xanax tablets "to cope with his cannabis addiction".

Canterbury Crown Court heard a neighbour rescued the "screaming and crying" youngsters and then witnessed the 31-year-old punch his former partner "with full force" before she eventually managed to escape his clutches by biting his thumb.

Easter was arrested and apologised for the violent assault while sitting in a police vehicle, but once in custody, he went on an abusive rant aimed at one constable before throwing a mixture of water and urine over another.

He also initially denied attacking the mother of his children, claiming he was "a hugger, not a fighter", the court was told.

Despite her ordeal, the victim later said she believed Easter, whose 18 previous convictions for 35 offences include one of battery against her in 2020, had "hit rock bottom" and needed help and support rather than prison.

But last month he was told he could only be punished by immediate imprisonment after admitting assault causing actual bodily harm, assault on an emergency worker and racially aggravated harassment.

Easter, of Redhouse Wall, Golf Road, Deal, was jailed for 14 months.

Steven Liddle

A man convicted of choking a child was jailed after a judge praised the "quick-thinking and sensible" action of the eyewitness who caught him on camera.

Steven Liddle, who maintains his innocence, was secretly snapped grasping the youngster around the neck in Folkestone in June last year.

His forceful gripping caused three haemorrhage marks which a doctor later concluded "spoke of strangulation".

But when interviewed by police Liddle claimed he had simply been tickling the child's collarbone, but he had also been surreptitiously filmed holding the victim tightly and covering their mouth with his hand, and twice "jumping" up and down while the child lay on the floor being "squeezed" between Liddle's feet.

The image and phone clips, in which the victim was visibly distressed, were shown during the 43-year-old's trial at Canterbury Crown Court in September.

The witness who made the recording later told police they saw the youngster's face turning red as they were gripped around the neck, and that Liddle stopped after a couple of seconds when he suspected he was being filmed, but Liddle, who has no previous convictions, maintained following his arrest that he had not strangled the child or meant "any malice".

Liddle, of Pelham Gardens, Folkestone, denied one offence of child cruelty but was found guilty by a jury on an 11 to one majority verdict after deliberating for just under seven hours, a second charge of assault by beating was ordered to be left on the court file.

Recorder Amy Nicholson had warned Liddle, who lives with his dad, that he faced jail when she adjourned sentencing for a probation report - and last month, when he returned to court she told him prison was inevitable for such a serious offence and locked him up for 18 months.

Mark Scamp

A prolific thief with more than 80 crimes to his name was said by a judge to have "absolutely no respect" for other people's property.

Mark Scamp, of Canterbury, had only been out of jail for three months when he was caught with a "toolkit" of instruments designed for breaking into cars, as well as cloned number plates, bolt croppers, a crowbar and keys for various dumper trucks, excavators and a Land Rover.

He was arrested and later recalled to prison but the cocaine addict soon returned to old habits once free again and has now racked up his 23rd criminal conviction.

Canterbury Crown Court heard the 38-year-old was in Epsom in Surrey in September 2021, when police stopped his Ford Focus and found the extensive thieving kit which included a car key programming device and instruments that could be used to release various vehicles' locking mechanisms.

Scamp was arrested and gave a "no comment" interview before being convicted by magistrates in April this year of going equipped for theft. He had in fact been recalled to prison in May last year but was released just six weeks later when the licence period expired, and the crime spree continued.

Having notched up a further conviction for burglary and theft - which landed him with a four-month suspended sentence - he went on to steal a £500 e-scooter from a Pure Gym car park in Canterbury in February and used a stolen bank card to purchase £67 worth of goods from a Co-op store in Minster in July.

Scamp, of Dickens Avenue, had also been captured on CCTV in April near The Range in Canterbury handing bolt croppers to another man who then used them to steal a £550 bicycle.

He was finally arrested for those three offences - theft, fraud and going equipped for theft - in August and pleaded guilty. He also admitted breaching his suspended sentence order. Appearing for sentencing on all five matters last month, Scamp was locked up for 19 months.

Adam North

Two abuse victims bravely spoke of the heartbreaking toll their jailed attacker's deviant behaviour has had on their lives.

Standing in the witness box at Canterbury Crown Court, one described how they feared paedophile Adam North would "always haunt" them and that just hearing his name "sent a shiver" down their spine.

Another said they "struggled" every day and tragically wished they were no longer alive, and North, of The Street, in Willesborough, Ashford, was unanimously convicted by a jury in June of multiple offences in respect of his "sexual, violent and cruel" conduct dating back more than a decade.

The 41-year-old had maintained on his arrest and at trial that the accusations were "in their heads", and the court was told at his sentencing hearing last month that he continues to assert his innocence.

But on jailing the child molester for 18 years in front of "supportive" family and friends sitting in the public gallery, a judge said he had been found guilty on overwhelming evidence.

He also praised the victims' courage and said "victory was theirs" as their "spirit and dignity" remained unbroken.

Visibly upset in the hushed courtroom and choking back tears, they read out their impact statements in which they detailed the devastating and disturbing consequences of North's offending.

This involved being molested and performing sexual acts and watching child and extreme pornography, and they were also physically assaulted and threatened so they would not report their ordeals.

To read more of our in-depth coverage of all of the major trials coming out of crown and magistrates’ courts across the county, click here.

To see the criminals locked up in October click here.

James Joiner

A pensioner who molested a teenager while giving her a back massage claimed she had "misinterpreted" his actions.

Canterbury Crown Court heard James Joiner, 68, from Herne Bay, groped the horrified victim's breasts under her bra and rubbed her buttocks with baby oil.

Her desperate attempts to stop him by directing him to other non-intimate parts of her body such as her ankle and arm were ignored and the ordeal only came to an end when he simply uttered: "All right."

The grandfather was later confronted by the girl's parent but he claimed he had "acted innocently and she had misinterpreted the massage”, said prosecutor Daniel Stevenson.

Joiner, of Douglas Road, maintained his innocence at trial but was unanimously convicted by a jury of three sexual offences.

At his sentencing hearing last month Judge Catherine Brown condemned his lack of remorse and insight, saying his only concern had been for himself and his family.

But on jailing him for three years, Judge Brown said his offending had been driven by his own desire for sexual gratification.

On his release, Joiner will be subject to indefinite sex offender notification requirements and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and will also be barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.

Jonathan Martin

A paedophile who targeted children across the globe was locked up for more than 10 years.

Jonathan Martin filmed himself committing a number of sexual assaults against a boy as well as explicitly messaging youngsters in the US and Finland.

The 35-year-old, of Lett Lane, Swanscombe, was arrested after Kent Police’s investigators were alerted about indecent images of children he had uploaded to the internet in May last year and when officers searched his home they found four mobile phones and a tablet under the kickboard in the kitchen.

When they visited again in July to arrest him, Martin could be seen throwing his laptop from the balcony and two more phones were found hidden inside cereal boxes and a toaster along with other devices and numerous videos and images were found of him sexually assaulting a young child, who has since been identified and safeguarded.

Officers also found sexual conversations with other victims, some as young as 10, where Martin had encouraged them to engage in sexual acts, send him pictures and to meet with him and on one occasion it was established he had arranged to meet a child in a park but he was late and the child had left.

The police worked together with Homeland Security Investigations and shared information regarding children living in the US, against whom Martin had been offending online. All identified children were visited and safeguarded by US authorities and through other work with Interpol, a child in Finland Martin had been in contact with was also safeguarded.

In total the sex offender had 162 videos on his devices – of which 59 were of the most serious Category A, a further 1,095 images were found including 175 Category A ones and Martin was charged with a total of 32 child sex offences including rape, sexual assault, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, making indecent images and others and he pleaded guilty to all but two of the offences last month at Woolwich Crown Court.

He was sentenced to 10 years and six months and will also serve another year on licence. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and issued with a lifelong sexual harm prevention order.

Gray Elcombe, Glyn Taylor and Aaron Elcombe

Three drug dealers involved in running a cocaine network worth more than £5 million were jailed last month.

The men, from Malling and Maidstone, were part of a criminal gang whose illegal activities were uncovered after the cracking of the heavily encrypted mobile phone service EncroChat.

Brothers Aaron, 46, and Gray Elcombe, 54, secretly communicated using handles Tasteful Revolver, Urban Bonsai and Striking Boat and contacted others to help buy and sell at least 60 kilograms of the class-A drug.

EncroChat was decoded by international law enforcement agencies in 2020 and messages were passed on to Kent Police. An investigation was launched by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate which revealed the brothers had an almost daily routine of seeking and arranging to buy and sell large amounts of cocaine.

They used encrypted messages to exchange cash and drugs and to direct people to complete deals on their behalf and both were arrested in September 2021, and a third suspect, Glyn Taylor, was detained the same day.

All three were charged and entered guilty pleas at Maidstone Crown Court and were sentenced last month, Gray Elcombe, previously of Tower View, Kings Hill, was sentenced to 12 years and six months’ imprisonment after admitting he was involved in the supply of cocaine and possession of criminal property, namely £5,000 cash seized.

His younger brother Aaron Elcombe, of St Francis Close, Penenden Heath, Maidstone, was jailed for 11 years and nine months, for also being concerned in the supply of cocaine and three other counts, including the supply of amphetamine and ketamine, were ordered by the court to lie on file.

Glyn Taylor, 44, of Barnhurst Road, Maidstone, was sentenced to five years after he pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and three counts of possessing drugs with intent to supply.

Callum Smith

A terrified mum told her children to "brace" themselves as her ex-boyfriend rammed and tailgated their car at speed.

The woman was said to have been left "distressed, intimidated and scared" by Callum Smith's dangerous 15-minute game of cat and mouse through Deal and Thanet.

“Aggressive” Smith drove his Vauxhall Astra into her Renault Megane three times, with the final impact causing one of her tyres to blow.

Canterbury Crown Court heard that just two hours earlier he had sent his former partner a text threatening: "I swear, contact me again, I'll smash your car to pieces."

The 22-year-old had initially "shadowed" her vehicle as she drove herself and the youngsters from a park in Deal on the afternoon of July 23.

Smith, of James Hall Gardens in Walmer, Deal, also rammed the Megane from the rear and the court heard several people came to the crying woman's aid and the police were called.

He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop, failing to provide a specimen and driving without insurance, but no charge resulted from him only having a provisional licence.

Jailing Smith for 16 months and banning him from driving for three-and-a-half years, Judge Mark Weekes said his actions that day represented "some of the worst dangerous driving" he had seen.

Nikas Biliakevicius and Andrius Petrauskas

Two men who carried out keyless car thefts around Kent were jailed for a total of five years.

Seven Mercedes and a BMW were stolen from outside their owners' homes in Folkestone, Maidstone, Tonbridge and Gravesend in Kent, and Welwyn, Hertfordshire and Hockley, in Essex between March 24 and April 15 this year.

Work by detectives from Kent Crime Squad linked two other vehicles to the thefts and one was spotted and stopped on a slip-road off the M25 in Essex on the evening of April 19.

Nikas Biliakevicius was arrested and Andrius Petrauskas was later linked to the thefts and arrested in Eltham, south-east London the following morning.

Petrauskas, 44, of Pinnell Road, Eltham, and Biliakevicius, 26, of Estcourt Street, Hull, were later charged with conspiring to steal motor vehicles.

Both men later admitted that charge and, at Canterbury Crown Court and last month, Petrauskas was jailed for three years and two months and Biliakevicius was given a one-year, 10-month sentence.

PC Michael Eeles, Kent Police's investigating officer, said: “These two men were clearly organised and committed vehicle thieves, stealing eight vehicles in just weeks.

“I am pleased our investigation saw them quickly arrested and they have now been jailed, protecting other vehicle owners in Kent and elsewhere from further offences.”

Aiman Aziz and Ayoub Omer

Two thugs were jailed after an unprovoked baseball bat attack on a group of friends outside a nightclub which left one man with a fractured skull.

Aiman Aziz and Ayoub Omer were kicked out of the Casino Rooms in Blue Boar Lane, Rochester, by security after Aziz headbutted a man.

Instead of going home, the pair waited for the man to leave the venue and then started assaulting him and his two friends on January 22.

Aziz,18, headbutted the first victim again before taking it in turns with Omer, 20, to assault the two other men with a baseball bat and Aziz beat one of them with such force that the weapon broke in half.

All three victims were taken to hospital due to facial and head injuries, and one of the men sustained a fractured skull and a bleed to the brain.

After the assault, police carried out a search of the area and both suspects were arrested at their address in Ordnance Street, Chatham.

They were later charged with wounding with intent and possession of an offensive weapon and Aziz was further charged with causing actual bodily harm.

Aziz pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court and last month he was jailed for four years and eight months.

Omer denied any involvement but was found guilty following a trial and he was sentenced to five years.

Troy Gosden

Bad blood between teenagers which erupted in gun and knife violence in a quiet market town led to one being locked up for more than five years.

Wielding a machete, 17-year-old Troy Gosden chased Ellis Priest into a doorway in Faversham where he then hacked at him as many as 10 times before delivering the final blow which punctured a lung.

The 18-year-old victim, who had fired a starter pistol at his attackers, also suffered a deep wound that exposed and cut tendons in his forearm and the tip of his thumb was sliced off and Gosden's accomplice, Kai Theodule, also 18, was unarmed but blocked Mr Priest's escape route with a wheelie bin and punched him several times, Canterbury Crown Court heard.

The frenzied attack occurred in the early evening of January 25 after Theodule's father had driven them to the area where the victim was known to live and it was captured on what was described as "quite startling" CCTV footage and its build-up was witnessed by an 11-year-old girl from her bedroom window.

She later described to police hearing two loud bangs before seeing several knife-wielding yobs "circling” and the "red flame" of a gun being fired and within seconds, Gosden and Theodule had set about their victim, with "deliberate intent and force", and he was later airlifted to King's College Hospital in London for treatment.

Gosden, of Charles Drayson Court, Faversham, and Theodule, of Maple Gardens, Canterbury, handed themselves in to police within a few days and the machete was never recovered and Gosden, now 18, later admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and having a bladed article

Theodule pleaded guilty to affray and both claimed when arrested however that they had acted in self-defence, saying they feared for their lives as the gun was fired at them.

Gosden was locked up for five-and-a-half years and Theodule was given 12 months' custody suspended for two years, with 15 rehabilitation activity requirement sessions, 100 hours of unpaid work and a three-month curfew between 7pm and 6am.

David Kemp

A sex offender was caught sending explicit images and arranging to meet a girl he believed was only 13 years old.

David Kemp was detained by police officers at Strood Railway Station on April 13, 2022.

His arrest followed an investigation by the force’s paedophile online investigation team which found he had been engaging in sexually explicit conversations online with a girl he believed was 13.

During the conversations between April 4 and April 13, he also sent explicit images and the 40-year-old was arrested and later charged after he travelled to Medway having arranged to meet the girl.

Kemp, of Silverweed Road, Chatham, pleaded guilty to arranging the commission of a child sex offence and attempted sexual communication with a child.

Investigating officer DC Lisa Roots, said: “We proactively target people who seek to commit sexual offences against children and, in this case, the evidence was overwhelming.

“By travelling to a prearranged meeting, Kemp has shown he poses a significant risk to children and the prison sentence is entirely justified and he will be also required to comply with the terms of the sexual harm prevention order on his release.”

Bradley Thomson

A thug who left a Good Samaritan with skull and face fractures during a two-day violent rampage smirked at his victim's partner as he was jailed.

Bradley Thomson, from Dover, looked straight at the woman and smiled smugly as he was led from the court dock to the cells at Canterbury Crown Court.

The 25-year-old had also grinned and given a thumbs-up sign to his mother and sister sitting in the public gallery and while it was said the two women were "shocked and appalled" at his behaviour, Thomson's barrister told a sentencing hearing it "reinforced their belief something was seriously wrong with him" and he needed help.

The court heard five people, including two women, were assaulted during two separate incidents in Dover, and he was armed with a two-pronged fork and a knife during the second.

His first victim was Robbie Dickenson who, together with his girlfriend, had intervened to stop a teenager being hassled and pinned against a bus stop by a group of four people, including Thomson, in Coombe Valley Road on June 10 and the police were called by the victim's girlfriend after Mr Dickenson was kicked and stamped on his face by the pair and the group fled while he lay on the ground motionless.

Four days later, Thomson erupted into violence again after being seen kicking the door of a property in Tower Hamlets, wielding a fork and shouting he wanted to talk to the occupant. After briefly retreating, he returned and continued his demands and when the resident appeared, Thomson swung at him with the fork.

Two men went to intervene and the defendant jabbed one with the fork around five times, making contact and causing small jab puncture wounds to his arm and elbow.

His fifth assault victim was a mum who was walking with her son. Thomson ran towards her shouting, knocked her to the ground and kicked her.

Thomson, of Folkestone Road, Dover, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent, assault causing actual bodily harm, battery, common assault, possessing an offensive weapon, possessing a knife, affray and possessing cannabis and he was jailed for four-and-a-half years with an extended licence period of three years.

Roger Tester

A child rapist left his victim so psychologically damaged she told a court she wished he had murdered her.

A judge told 78-year-old Roger Tester, of Cowgate Hill, Dover, that he had subjected the youngster to "extreme degradation and humiliation" after grooming her with treats and plying her with alcohol and even drugs such as heroin.

So depraved was his behaviour that one offence involved a dog and was "about as degrading as it gets", jurors at Canterbury Crown Court heard.

Last month the pensioner, previously convicted of molesting a four-year-old in the 1970s, was imprisoned for 22 years.

Tester, who suffers from a variety of health conditions including dementia and COPD and uses a walking frame, had to be helped from his seat at the side of the court to the dock and down to the cells to begin his lengthy sentence.

He had denied 19 sexual offences and was convicted unanimously on 16 of them, with a further two by majority verdicts of 11 to one.

After the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the final charge, the prosecution said a retrial would not be sought and offered no evidence.

The victim sat crying in the public gallery as she watched her attacker being jailed.

Martin Cherry

A paedophile who attempted to rape a young child who said he had done “dirty things to her” was jailed.

Martin Cherry coerced a minor into various sexual activities taking place over the space of a year.

The 42-year-old, of Edinburgh Road, Chatham, was arrested in December after the victim told her mother.

Cherry was charged with six counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child under 13, two counts of engaging in sexual activity in front of a child, and one count of attempted rape of a child.

In February he pleaded guilty to all the charges.

He was jailed for 13-and-a-half years at Maidstone Crown Court last month, with an additional four years on licence.

Cherry will be eligible for parole after serving two-thirds of his sentence.

He was also given a sexual prevention harm order and has been listed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Ben Foad

A drug dealer caught by police with a large knife, heroin and cocaine was jailed.

Plain-clothed police were driving along Wellesley Road in Ashford on Thursday, September 28 when they spotted a wanted man in a car.

The car was stopped and Ben Foad, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was arrested on recall to prison.

The vehicle was searched and a large knife, cash, phones and small amounts of cocaine and heroin were found.

Analysis of the phones showed messages offering heroin and crack cocaine for sale, and messages signed off 'Ben'.

Foad was charged and later admitted to being concerned in supplying class-A drugs and possession of a bladed article.

The 20-year-old, formerly of north London, appeared before Canterbury Crown Court last month and was jailed for four years.

DC Karl Shonhard, of Kent Police's county lines and gangs team, said: “The drugs sold by committed dealers like Foad lead to knock-on crime and anti-social behaviour in our communities.”

Muhamed Alievski

Undercover officers who set up a "decoy" trap to snare people-smugglers got more than they bargained for when they discovered a wanted criminal in the back of a lorry.

Canterbury Crown Court heard the National Crime Agency was working in tandem with law enforcement in Albania to target organised crime groups involved in human trafficking to and from the Continent.

But having made arrangements for a decoy to be transported out of the UK from an industrial estate in Ashford, it was discovered "by chance" that the driver already had a foreign national stowed away in his trailer.

The man, a 22-year-old Albanian, was on the run after a warrant for his arrest had been issued at Oxford Crown Court and the lorry driver, 28-year-old Muhamed Alievski, was arrested and later admitted assisting unlawful immigration.

The court was told he had stepped in at the "11th hour" to traffick the "non-existent, decoy" migrant, having already agreed to transport the wanted man and arrangements had been made with an Albanian national for an NCA undercover officer to go to the industrial estate on August 4 this year where the decoy migrant would be met and, for a fee of £2,500, transported out of the UK.

The original plan could not go ahead, however, and so an agreement was made for the "collection" to take place the following day. The NCA officer was parked in a Transit van when he saw Alievski, who lives in Macedonia with his parents, walk past looking at his phone and appearing to be waiting for someone.

The two men then discussed the "drop off" and the payment before the money was handed over and Alievski was promptly arrested. When his lorry was searched officers heard a noise from within the lorry and they discovered a foreign national inside who initially tried to flee before being detained.

Jailing Alievski for three years, Judge Mark Weekes said that although Parliament had increased the maximum punishment for human trafficking from 14 years to life imprisonment as an indication that the courts "must take a more severe line", he also had to bear in mind those "truly at the bottom end" of such offending when sentencing.

Tamzin Carey

A homeless woman who was living in a tent was jailed after starting sexual relationships with two teenage girls.

Tamzin Carey, of no fixed address, admitted nine offences involving the victims who were 13 and 15 when the relationships started.

But, as the case was being outlined at Maidstone Crown Court, including accounts from the teenagers, the 23-year-old shouted from the dock: “It’s all b*******, it’s b******* – it’s making me out to be a monster.”

Carey was living in a tent in Faversham and incidents happened at a hotel in Sittingbourne and a flat in Chatham.

Prosecutor Paul Valder said: “At the time of the offences one victim was aged between 13 to 14 when Carey was between 18 to 19 and the second victim was 15 when the defendant was between 19 and 20.”

Carey was issued with a Child Abduction Warning in October 2019 which banned her from being with the child, but 13 days later police discovered them together.

John Barker, defending, said Carey was a victim of childhood cruelty and denied she had preyed on the two victims.

Jailing her for three years and four months, Judge Philip Statman said what she had done had been “extremely damaging” to the victims.

Roy Scott

A violent man who beat up a dog owner with a metal bar in an unprovoked attack was jailed.

Roy Scott, of Burch Road, Gravesend, left his victim with several broken bones after assaulting him in Medway.

A man was sitting outside a shop in Strood Retail Park with his dog when he was approached by Scott on August 2.

The pair had known each other in the past but Scott unexpectedly tried to kick the man in the face and as the victim stood up, Scott pulled a metal bar from his trousers, as the man tried to run away.

Scott chased him into Commercial Road and struck him 13 times with the bar before leaving the scene towards the High Street.

The victim sustained a broken arm, broken finger and bruising to his body during his ordeal, and later went to hospital for treatment.

Scott, 41, was arrested in Northfleet a few days later and was charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

He pleaded guilty and, at Woolwich Crown Court last month, Scott was jailed for one year and 10 months.

Blake Paterson

A fraudster was jailed again after scamming people into buying items such as quad bikes on the internet.

Blake Paterson, previously of Maidstone High Street, was released on licence in 2022 having been jailed for offences connected to bogus online car sales.

He had been convicted of multiple crimes after tricking victims into paying money and then failing to provide the vehicles in return.

As well as licensing conditions, which enabled him to be recalled to prison if he reoffended, Paterson had been required to comply with a Serious Crime Prevention Order restricting his use of communication devices and business email accounts.

But in May this year, just months after his release, he advertised motorbikes and quad bikes for sale on the internet using a false name and two victims contacted Paterson and transferred payments totalling £2,245, yet in both cases, the goods were not delivered, a third buyer sought to purchase an electric bike but did not part with any funds.

An investigation by Kent Police’s Economic Crime Unit established Paterson was responsible for the frauds, having held the mobile phone used to liaise with the victims and detectives also established the money had been transferred into his own bank accounts.

The 39-year-old was arrested on September 19 and charged with three counts of fraud, as well as 10 counts of breaching a Serious Crime Prevention Order.

Paterson pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court and was sentenced last month to two years’ imprisonment. He will also be subject to a further Serious Crime Prevention Order when released.

Alminas Satas, Maksims Seluks and Olgierd Golubovski

Three men who carried out keyless car thefts across the county were jailed for a total of more than seven years.

Alminas Satas, Maksims Seluks and Olgierd Golubovski were involved in the thefts of 29 vehicles from Ashford, Hawkinge, Tonbridge, Tenterden and Maidstone in October and November 2022.

They used an electronic device to capture the signals emitted by car keys and trick vehicles into thinking keys were present to steal them and an investigation was launched after the first vehicles, a BMW and a Mercedes, were stolen in Ashford on October 12 last year.

Detectives found the thieves were travelling to the county from east London in vehicles which had cloned number plates on them to avoid detection and they were targeting BMWs, Mercedes and Range Rovers, which would then be driven back to Essex and London, where is it believed they were stripped down and sold for parts.

In the early hours of December 8, officers established a BMW seen on the M25 was travelling on cloned plates and it was followed by officers in unmarked cars and brought to a stop after exiting the A249 near Sittingbourne.

Satas and Seluks were then arrested, while a third man ran from the scene and the vehicle was found to be registered under a false name at an address in Dagenham. Officers later went to that address and arrested Golubovski.

Evidence from his and the other men's phones linked them to the numerous thefts around the county over the preceding two months and they were charged in December and then admitting to conspiring to steal vehicles, Satas, Seluks and Golubovski were sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court last month.

Satas, 26, of Bell Farm Avenue, Dagenham, was jailed for three years and four months, Golubovski, 24, of Rowdowns Road, Dagenham, was sentenced to two years and four months, while Seluks, 23, of Vincent Road, Dagenham, received a sentence of two years and one month.

Stephanie Parker

A woman who unleashed a tirade of verbal abuse towards shop staff and onlookers was jailed and banned from a town centre.

Stephanie Parker was handed a Community Protection Notice (CPN) earlier this year which prevented her from street drinking in Margate.

But patrolling officers repeatedly found her with open alcohol containers and making abusive comments in October this year.

Parker was spoken to by an officer in Cecil Square on October 13 after she was again seen drinking alcohol.

The 34-year-old became abusive and – as she was arrested for being drunk and disorderly – attacked the officer.

Parker was charged with and later admitted four counts of breaching a CPN, as well as assaulting an emergency worker and being drunk and disorderly.

She was jailed for 40 days at Margate Magistrates' Court last month and she was also made the subject of a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order which prevents her from using abusive language in public, leaving rubbish or other items in public and entering Margate town centre.

She also cannot have an open alcohol container or consume booze in public and breaching the terms of the order could see her further jailed or fined.

Milen Ivanov

A man was jailed for more than six years after he sexually abused a child.

Paedophile Milen Ivanov, from Gillingham, targeted the young victim between June 1 and August 9 last year, after he made them believe they were in a relationship.

His offending came to light after the child told their parents what had been happening, and they quickly contacted the police.

Ivanov, of Chaucer Road, was arrested on August 28, 2022.

He was bailed with conditions, including not to contact the victim, while investigators built the case against him.

During this time, Ivanov committed further offences including sharing indecent images of the victim and making threats towards the child.

He was charged with two counts of sexual activity with a child, intimidation of a witness, making indecent photographs of a child, and disclosing a private sexual photograph.

The 34-year-old was jailed at Maidstone Crown Court last month for six years and eight months and he will also be subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a five-year restraining order on his release.

Hayden Ashcroft

A teenager who knifed a man and then bragged about "shanking" him was locked up.

Hayden Ashcroft attacked Erik Horvath in a Dover street in the early hours of Monday, September 4, after he came to the aid of another individual being threatened by the then 17-year-old.

Canterbury Crown Court heard Mr Horvath, who is in his early 20s, tried to ward off Ashcroft, having spotted a knife up his sleeve, but was caught off-guard and stabbed in Folkestone Road.

The victim had to be airlifted to King's College Hospital in London where he was treated for a punctured left lung and a second, small knife wound to his upper arm. Ashcroft later admitted wounding with intent, affray and threatening with a bladed article.

At his sentencing hearing last month - just a day before he turned 18 - prosecutor Stacey-Lee Holland told how Mr Horvath was walking home when a friend appeared, saying two people were trying to hurt him.

When Ashcroft and another male approached, Mr Horvath asked what the issue was, said Ms Holland, only to be told it was "none of his business" and that his friend was "going to get it".

Mr Horvath thought he was going to be stabbed by Ashcroft because he’d spotted the knife and he hit him in a preemptive strike and bent down to try to retrieve a metal pole to throw it at Ashcroft, but Ashcroft ran at him and knocked him to the floor and stabbed him.

Ashcroft, who has a previous conviction for robbery and two cautions for assault causing actual bodily harm and affray, was locked up for three years in a young offenders' institution, Recorder Christine Wilson said the sentence would have been six years' imprisonment had he been an adult.

Ujeza Kurmekaj

Officers had to smash through a door to storm the home of a small boat people smuggler who was jailed for her involvement in bringing Albanians to the country.

Ujeza Kurmekaj facilitated crossings for Albian nationals wanting to travel from France to the UK across the English Channel.

Investigators found hundreds of messages on the 32-year-old’s phone which revealed she played a key role linking people smugglers with passengers.

She sent instructions to contacts in France on who they should pick up, with messages including “family one, three women, children 14, 17, 12 years old” and “we have here one family, man wife one child”.

Other messages indicated conditions, including “very bad sea” and map location pins instructing where to pick migrants up or where boats were positioned in the Channel.

Further conversations showed individuals making contact with her to arrange crossings for their families.

Kurmekaj’s device also contained 21 images of Albanian ID cards and passports which, when checked on immigration systems, showed that nine of the individuals had arrived in the UK by small boat.

She was charged with facilitating illegal immigration in September and pleaded guilty to the charge at Oxford Crown Court last month and the Banbury, Oxfordshire resident was sentenced to seven and a half years and will be automatically deported at the end of her jail term.

Daniel Baah

A “serial and dedicated” thief was jailed for 32 months after targeting vulnerable pensioners using cash machines across Kent.

Daniel Baah waited by ATMs in Headcorn, Tonbridge, Gravesend, Chatham and Strood.

The 26-year-old then struck as his victims attempted to withdraw their money – convincing them the machine didn’t work while stealing the card.

Maidstone Crown Court was told that on a couple of occasions, he informed his victims he would report the faulty machine before fleeing with the stolen cards.

Last month, Baah, who admitted eight thefts and 16 frauds, was jailed and a judge also ordered the confiscation of a BMW 3 Series he used to travel around the county.

Prosecutor William Goss said: “The Crown submits that this defendant is a serial and dedicated thief who targeted vulnerable victims at ATM cashpoints across Kent.

“He distracted them to steal their bank cards and subsequently withdrew substantial sums of cash.”

And at his sentencing, Baah, of Durban Road, Stratford, east London, claimed that during his time in prison on remand he was now “sincerely sorry”.

Bacari-Bronze O'Garro aka Mizzy

Controversial TikTok prankster Mizzy was sentenced to 18 weeks in a Young Offenders Institution.

The sentence came after the 19-year-old, who once filmed himself entering a stranger’s house without permission, breached a court order banning him from posting videos featuring people without their consent.

Mizzy – whose real name is Bacari-Bronze O'Garro – uploaded footage on social media hours after the ban was imposed.

The judge at Stratford Magistrates Court in east London told him "Your pranks are not funny. Your actions caused innocent members of the public significant harm and distress.

“You claimed on national television the law was weak.”

The prankster had been banned from using social media at a previous hearing after being found guilty of posting videos without consent and was found to have “deliberately flouted” a court order prohibiting him from sharing videos of people without their consent just a few hours of it being passed.

Judge Matthew Bone slammed O’Garro for “lacking all credibility” after he denied four counts of breaching the order, but after being convicted, the judge handed the prankster an 18-week sentence and ordered he not share any videos, act with others to share videos or contribute to other people’s social media accounts for two years.

He was also ordered not to trespass on private property, or enter the E12 area of London and was also ordered to pay a £154 victim surcharge.

Eglant Lleshi

A drug dealer who struck two officers with his car while attempting to flee the police was jailed.

Eglant Lleshi, who was thinking only of evading justice was sent to prison for more than five years following the appalling incident.

In the early hours of September 17, 2020, three officers were on patrol when they spotted a Ford Kuga parked on Common Road in Blue Bell Hill near Chatham and they stopped and spoke to the driver, Lleshi, and a woman in the passenger seat, but suspecting the pair to be in possession of drugs, they were detained for a search.

The passenger was escorted from the car, but Lleshi suddenly started up the Kuhga and reversed into one of the officers and a second, who had been standing next to the car, was also injured as she tried to restrain Lleshi through an open door.

He ran over the first officer a second time, before driving in a dangerous manner from the scene. Further patrols attended and the vehicle was found abandoned around two miles away.

In the footwell, officers found packets of cocaine inside a plastic container. These were later analysed and found to have a value of between £1,000 and £2,000. Investigators were later able to prove Lleshi had been involved in the supply of drugs and that he had left the UK shortly after the incident.

A European Arrest Warrant was issued and he was arrested in Italy on April 5, 2023, and extradited. At Maidstone Crown Court, Lleshi, from northern Italy, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, dangerous driving, and possession of class A drugs with intent to supply.

Last month, the 28-year-old was sentenced to five years and four months’ imprisonment. He will also be disqualified from driving for 25 months on his release.

Scott Garrett

A woman was left with "paralysing fear" after she was beaten so hard by her "Incredible Hulk" boyfriend she heard her ribs crack.

Forklift truck driver Scott Garrett, from Canterbury, was said to be "raging" as he tried to hunt down his stash of cocaine before viciously attacking his partner as she lay on her bed.

Canterbury Crown Court heard she not only suffered physical harm in the form of broken ribs and a punctured lung but also psychological trauma in that she felt she would never want an intimate relationship again and told police, she believed Garrett, who has 41 previous convictions for a staggering 104 offences, had deliberately targeted that area of her body knowing that she has a back condition.

Prosecutor Antony Hook said despite being a couple for just six weeks, the relationship was already "toxic" by the time of the assault and the court heard the woman was nodding off to sleep at her home in Canterbury on the evening of July 15 when she was woken by Garrett "in a state of rage" and slamming doors as he looked for his drugs.

The 36-year-old then grabbed a bottle of whiskey and threatened to hit his girlfriend in the face, before kicking her and punching her five times in the back. On the fourth blow she heard the sound of a crack to her ribs and he told her “next time I'll kill you”.

Injured, she fled to a nearby property and was taken to hospital where staff alerted police, however, she was initially too scared to make a statement or go to court, but as she lay in her hospital bed, a manipulative Garrett sent her numerous texts in which he professed his love while accusing her of attacking him.

Garrett, of Tennyson Avenue, Canterbury, was arrested and later admitted unlawful wounding and the court heard his criminal history, described by the judge as "woeful", includes offences of domestic-related abuse and assaulting police.

But on imposing a 38-month jail term, Judge Alison Russell castigated Garrett's repeated shaking of the head during the hearing as well as his attempts in a pre-sentence report to shift blame onto his victim and minimise his behaviour, she also imposed a five-year restraining order banning him from going within 100 metres of his former partner's road.

Bradley Cain

A drink and drug driver who killed a young mum as she protected her three-year-old child was jailed for more than 10 years.

Bradley Cain, 25, hit Lisa Chapman, a 28-year-old married mum-of-three, in Church Hill, Charing Heath, but then drove away, leaving her in the road.

He was discovered asleep in bed after abandoning his Ford Fiesta which had also struck another car and forced another vehicle to swerve before hitting a speed sign.

Cain, of Lenham Heath Road, Lenham, initially denied being the driver despite being over the limits for alcohol, cocaine and cannabis after spending the day at Faversham Hop Festival on Saturday, September 2 this year.

His dangerous driving has now left three children without a mum and in danger of losing their home, Maidstone Crown Court has heard.

Cain, who admitted causing death by dangerous driving and leaving the scene of an accident and not reporting it, was last month jailed for 10 years and 10 months and banned from driving for 206 months.

As he was being led away to begin his sentence a member of the victim’s family rushed from the public gallery shouting at Cain and they had to be restrained by a police officer.

Following the hearing, DS Faye Murphy said: “My thoughts are with Lisa’s family during what must have been and continues to be a very difficult time for them, this tragic incident should never have happened, and it goes to show that speeding and driving under the influence of drink and drugs, poses a serious risk to others.”

Caleb Shebioba

A man suffering from a severe mental illness told police he repeatedly stabbed a kebab shop worker with a 30cm carving fork in revenge for being racially abused.

Caleb Shebioba, who has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder that can include paranoid persecutory thoughts and hallucinations, had only been released from hospital a week before the attack at the Ashford Pizza and Kebab House.

Canterbury Crown Court heard that following a row with staff at about 7.30pm on August 8, 2021 he returned half an hour later, having "grabbed the nearest thing to hand", and struck Majmun Khail twice in the back and twice in the arm from behind.

The 26-year-old later claimed he had previously been insulted with the 'N-word' and threatened with a machete.

Shebioba, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possessing a bladed article and at his sentencing hearing last month, a judge said no matter "how repellent" the abuse, perceived or otherwise, it did not justify such "serious and public violence".

"Unless and until this cycle is broken and your insight and engagement improves, you are an individual who poses a significant risk of serious harm," he told Shebioba.

"You committed what seems to have been a premeditated and, in my judgment, serious revenge attack.”

Judge Simon James imposed an indefinite hospital order, expressing the need for the "concerning cycle of inpatient treatment followed by non-compliance, substance misuse, crisis and relapse" to be addressed.

Ross Carver

A paedophile who groomed youngsters online and shared "grotesque" images of horrific abuse later blamed his vile behaviour on alcohol and drugs.

Former Ashford resident Ross Carver took to social media platforms such as Kik to fuel his depraved sexual interest during a Covid lockdown which “seriously compounded his mental health issues”, Canterbury Crown Court was told.

Over a six-month period, he engaged in multiple, explicit conversations in which he asked for indecent photos, distributed child abuse images and videos – and even encouraged others, including children, to carry out sexual acts on younger siblings and cousins.

The 33-year-old's depravity sank so low that he claimed he was the adult filmed abusing children as young as four in the videos he had shared, and even boasted of having raped toddlers.

In one chatlog he also referred to having "trained" two young girls, adding "I find it easier with littles" and the court was told however, that the female relatives he spoke of having molested do not exist, and police had not identified him as being the abuser in any of the videos or images.

But although Carver's sickening assertions proved to be nothing more than the warped fantasies of someone his barrister described as being "in the grip" of alcohol and drug misuse during Covid lockdown, a judge told him at his sentencing hearing last month, there was still "grave concerns" and he posed a direct risk to children.

Carver, who lived with his parents in Bearsted, Maidstone, admitted three offences of attempting or arranging the commission of a child sexual offence, nine of distributing indecent images of children and three of possessing indecent images.

Jailing Carver for three years, Judge Simon James said that despite "commendable inclinations" to address his offending, immediate custody was inevitable for what was an "extensive use of the internet to satiate his sexual interest in children".

Andrew Saunders

A man was jailed for more than two years after officers on patrol found a “block of cocaine” next to his bike.

Andrew Saunders, 27, was spotted by police standing next to his moped in Haywood Avenue, Minster-on-Sea when he attempted to run from the scene but fell over and was arrested.

A bag containing a solid block of cocaine was recovered from the ground next to the bike, along with two mobile phones and a further 10 bags of cocaine.

When one of the phones was checked it was found to contain text messages concerning the supply of class A drugs and investigators established Saunders, of Camelia Road, Minster-on-Sea, had been supplying cocaine since August 5, 2022.

The drugs were estimated to have a street value of between £3,580 and £6,860.

Saunders was charged with being concerned in the supply of class A drugs and pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court last month.

He was sentenced to two years and six months’ imprisonment.

DS Jay Robinson said: “Saunders has now started a prison sentence and this should serve as a warning to anyone who is considering following his example.”

Darren Duffy and Tebin Kadir

Two drug suppliers were locked up for more than 15 years after cocaine with a street value of £16,500 was found in a Mercedes.

Thanet residents Darren Duffy and Tebin Kadir were arrested on June 14 2019 during an early-morning search.

Officers found quantities of the drug with a street value of up to £16,500 when they looked inside a Mercedes car belonging to Kadir at his home.

They also seized cash and steroids from inside the property and he was deemed to have played a leading role in a criminal enterprise, regularly dealing in more than 1kg of the drug at a time.

The 44-year-old, of St Mildred’s Road, Margate, was jailed for 11 years after pleading guilty to multiple charges.

Some of the illegal substances seized had fingerprints which matched Duffy, who was already known to be working for Kadir.

When his fridge was searched, cocaine was found and text messages between the pair were also discovered.

The 40-year-old from Dumpton Park Drive pleaded guilty to charges relating to the supply of drugs and possession of criminal property and he was locked up for five years and three months.

Christopher Baker

An "obsessive" seaman set up a WhatsApp chat titled ‘Operation Spycam’ with his mother so they could stalk a woman together.

Christopher Baker – who last month was jailed – used tracking and exercise apps as well as social media to monitor his victim's movements, smashed glass late at night outside her home, and even Googled 'how to hire a hitman' and 'how to hurt someone' as he waged his seven-week campaign.

Canterbury Crown Court heard the 40-year-old was living with his mother Paula Baker in Dover at the time and, when she joined him in his illegal endeavours, the pair set up a WhatsApp chat they called ‘Operation Spycam’.

In one message exchange referring to a location they believed to be connected to the woman, Christopher Baker described it as being "quite difficult to snoop" before adding "we will have to look when dark."

He also revealed his intentions to fit a vehicle tracking device to her car, and his mum would follow and film the victim, report her movements back to her son, and send him photographs, the 62-year-old even boasted she was "too clever" to be detected.

Their actions left the woman feeling "emotionally exhausted and overwhelmed" and afraid even when putting her bins out at night, the court heard.

Mother and son later admitted stalking involving serious alarm and distress between August 31 and October 18 last year, but were said to have continued to blame the woman in reports prepared for their sentencing hearing last month.

On jailing Christopher Baker for three years and handing Paula Baker a 12-month prison term suspended for a year with 200 hours of unpaid work, Judge Alison Russell said there could be no doubt both were "equally complicit in this deliberate and prolonged stalking campaign".

Michael Turner

A lorry driver caught smuggling cocaine worth an estimated £3m into the UK hidden in his vehicle's fuel tank was jailed.

Trucker Michael Turner was said to have been paid as little as £700 for what a judge described as "a vital and trusted role" in the drugs enterprise foiled on May 31.

The 53-year-old was driving a UK-registered HGV carrying a legitimate load of Oatly drinks destined for Shropshire when he was stopped at the Channel Tunnel inbound checkpoint at Coquelles in France.

Prosecutor Peter Forbes told Canterbury Crown Court the vehicle was examined and "an unusual area" of the fuel tank was detected and closer inspection revealed one end sounded hollow whereas the other had no "ring" to it, he added.

Metal plates and bolts were removed to allow access to the tank and inside officers found 60 vacuum-sealed packages.

Turner was arrested and denied any knowledge of his illicit cargo, however, his DNA was recovered from one of the packages and on the metal edge of a hatch cut into the concealment area, said Mr Forbes.

Turner, from Stafford, pleaded guilty to the importation of a class A drug.

Jailing Turner for eight years, Judge Simon James said he had been involved in a "massive importation".