Some of the criminals with Suffolk links who were jailed in June, with cases from Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Beccles, Haverhill and more
It has been a busy month for the courts, with sentences handed out to dozens of people across the county.
While some were punished for more minor offences, others received long jail terms for more serious crimes.
These are the people with Suffolk links who faced justice in June.
Council Tax fraudster sentenced
Our first case concerns a 24-year-old woman from Felixstowe, who was handed a hefty fine and a suspended prison sentence after fraudulently claiming a reduction in her Council Tax.
Sophie Senski, formerly of Coastguard Walk, appeared before Ipswich Crown Court for sentencing on June 6.
She admitted failing to declare that another adult was living with her, failing to declare another adult in the household when claiming for Council Tax support and Council Tax reduction, and failing to declare she held capital above the £16,000 limit when claiming for Council Tax reduction in April.
This allowed her to pocket a 25 per cent reduction from living alone, being overpaid by £3,643.20 in support and £2,080.45 in single person discount in total.
Senski was handed a 36 week prison sentence, suspended for two years plus 25 days of rehabilitation.
She must also undertake 100 hours of unpaid work.
Dangerous driver was ‘clearly in no fit state to drive’
Also in June, a Red Lodge driver who nearly hit a traffic island while going at half the speed limit was jailed.
Faith McNab-Thompson, 26, of Fennel Drive, was ‘clearly in no fit state to drive’, her speech was slurred and she was unsteady on her feet, said police who found her driving an Audi A1 in Barton Mills in the early hours of March 24.
They were alerted after she was seen in Mildenhall veering across the road and was driving at 30mph in a 60mph zone.
She refused drug and blood tests.
McNab-Thompson appeared at Suffolk Magistrates’ Court on June 7, where she was banned from driving for three years.
Man caught with 15-inch knife in pub
Next, a man who was caught with a 15-inch knife in a Haverhill pub was jailed.
Alan Mizon, 50, of Landseer Court, Haverhill, appeared before Suffolk Magistrates’ Court on June 13, where he pleaded guilty to possession of a knife in a public place.
Police were called just before 6.50pm on March 29 following reports a man walking along the High Street, Haverhill, was in possession of a knife.
Officers attended and found Mizon in a pub on Market Square where he was searched and found to be carrying a 15-inch blade.
Mizon was sentenced to 18 weeks’ imprisonment.
He was also sentenced to 12 weeks’ imprisonment for breach of a molestation order, to be served consecutively, and ordered to pay £500.
Horror attempted murder left victim with nightmares
Another case from June saw a trio jailed for an attempted murder in Beccles.
Lewis Aldridge, 27, of Market Place in Southwold; Nathan Baker, 20, of Quay Street in Halesworth; and Daniel Hermon, 27, of Market Place in Southwold, were sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on June 17.
This followed an incident at 2.45am on November 18 in London Road, where the trio pulled Julian Johnson, 53, to the ground before attacking him.
Earlier that evening, Baker and Hermon were involved in an altercation with another group, of which Mr Johnson was a part of, trying to defend his son, the court was told.
The pair drove to Southwold to pick up Aldridge and get revenge, asking him to bring knives, although these were not used in the attack.
They came across Mr Johnson while he was walking home and attacked him.
The court was told that Hermon said to ‘finish him off’, at which point they ran him over with Baker’s car.
Mr Johnson said he suffered nightmares since the attack – which left him with life-changing injuries, as such he could no longer work as a painter and decorator.
Baker and Aldridge were sentenced to 17 years in prison, with Aldridge being given an additional one year for possession of a knife, to be served concurrently. Hermon was jailed for 18 years.
Man abused Blue Badge issued to West Sussex hospice
Also in June, an Ipswich man abused the use of a Blue Badge issued in West Sussex.
On June 17, Nurul Rahman, of Kelvin Road, pleaded guilty at Suffolk Magistrates’ Court to wrongful display of a Blue Badge.
The court was told that on October 19, Suffolk County Council (SCC) and Ipswich Borough Council jointly carried out an enforcement day to enforce proper use of Blue Badges.
It was during this day of action officers came across Rahman, who was parked in King Street.
His blue badge was issued by West Sussex County Council to a hospice – which Rahman told officers he worked for.
Magistrates ordered Rahman to pay £153, £1,000 in legal costs plus a victim surcharge of £61.
Child sex offences spanned two decades
Our next case saw a 44-year-old man jailed for a string of child sex offences spanning nearly two decades.
David Miller, 44, of Hervey Street, Ipswich, was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on June 20 after a nine-day trial.
He denied all 16 offences which took place between December 2002 and 2019.
The charges included two counts of rape, two of indecent assault, four of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, seven of sexual activity with a child and one of sexual activity with a child, being convicted by a jury on all counts.
Miller was first arrested in October 2020, and after an investigation, was charged in October 2022.
He targeted vulnerable adult women with a view to abuse their children, all of whom were boys.
He will spend 21 years behind bars.
Trio stole £13,000 from town shop
Finally, a Luton trio who stole £13,000 worth of items from a Bury St Edmunds shop were jailed in June.
Loredana Sava, Radu Niculescu and Loredana Sava were sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on June 26.
They pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to theft at Romark Jewellers, in Abbeygate Street, on February 17.
They entered the store and having distracted the owner, managed to steal a small bag of jewellery.
They were handed the following sentences:
- Loredana Sava, 35 – 22 months’ imprisonment
- Radu Niculescu, 29 – 24 months’ imprisonment
- Loredana Sava, 31, 20 months’ imprisonment
