Julia Roberts

Benjamin Goodchild, 46, of Dymchurch, pleaded guilty after cutting in front of a Ford Transit on the A2070 in Ashford, braking sharply and causing a collision. He then confronted driver Alan Hartnoll, damaged the van’s wing mirror and punched Hartnoll twice, leaving him injured and emotionally distressed. Goodchild later admitted responsibility and expressed remorse. Canterbury Crown Court imposed a 12-month community order, 30 days of rehabilitation activity, 100 hours of unpaid work, six penalty points, compensation and costs.

Jamie Sutton was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court to three and a half years in prison, with the possibility of release after serving 40% of his term, after pleading guilty to causing the death of 79-year-old Michael Piper by careless driving while over the cannabis limit. Sutton had been driving at up to 44 mph in a busy 30 mph area in Cliftonville when he struck Piper, who suffered extensive injuries and died 10 months later. Piper's family condemned the sentence as unduly lenient and intends to ask the Attorney General to review it. Sutton was also banned from driving for five years and ordered to take an extended driving test.

Convicted sex offender Lee Hollamby falsely accused a Kent police officer of possessing child-abuse images, extreme pornography and material involving necrophilia in letters sent to Kent Police, Thames Valley Police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct. The allegations were quickly identified as malicious after DNA evidence linked the letters to Hollamby, who said he wanted revenge against the officer supervising him under a sexual harm prevention order. He pleaded guilty after initially denying the charges and received a 33-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months, along with 180 hours of unpaid work, rehabilitation requirements and £1,000 in court costs. The judge said Hollamby was fortunate not to face a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Dev Banerjee received an 18-month prison sentence suspended for two years after pleading guilty to assisting his son, Ben Banerjee, in evading police following a stabbing in Murston, Sittingbourne. Banerjee texted his son to remain quiet and switch off his phone while officers searched the family home, where the teenager hid in the loft for about 12 hours. Ben Banerjee and Henry Slade ultimately pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of affray, receiving youth and community sentences respectively. Judge Robert Lazarus said Dev Banerjee’s actions could have worsened his son’s position but noted that his criminality was short-lived, had little impact on justice, and that his poor health, guilty plea and limited criminal record justified suspending the sentence. He must complete rehabilitation and mental-health treatment requirements.

Lyndsey Mcgivern, a 45-year-old mother from Ramsgate, pleaded guilty to abusing her position as an informal carer to take more than £25,237 from Derek and Valerie Haynes, an elderly couple with advanced dementia. The fraud continued for nine months after they moved into residential care, leaving their account overdrawn and direct debits unpaid. A £20 Uber Eats transaction and documents found at Mcgivern’s home helped link her to the scheme. Judge Simon Taylor KC described the conduct as a sustained and disgraceful breach of trust but suspended a one-year-and-10-month prison sentence because of Mcgivern’s guilty plea, lack of previous convictions, low risk of reoffending, rehabilitation prospects and childcare responsibilities. She must complete 300 hours of unpaid work, rehabilitation activities and mental health treatment.

Nicholas Jebb, a Swanley man with numerous previous motoring convictions, led Kent Police officers on two high-speed pursuits around Dartford, Darenth and Wilmington in August 2023. He drove at up to 85mph, travelled the wrong way around roundabouts, overtook dangerously and attempted to reverse into police vehicles. He was later arrested with a kitchen knife and refused alcohol testing. Jebb pleaded guilty to two dangerous-driving offences, possessing a bladed article, failing to provide a specimen and possessing cannabis. Although Judge Gareth Branston said he was a menace and that custody was normally appropriate, the judge suspended a 21-month prison sentence for two years because of Jebb’s rehabilitation progress, ADHD and autism, and the impact imprisonment would have on his pregnant partner. Jebb must complete rehabilitation and alcohol-monitoring requirements, is banned from driving for two and a half years, and must pass an extended test to regain his licence.

Former West Mercia police constable Mark Slade, 51, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting five women at the former Bierkeller in January 2023 while heavily intoxicated. The judge described his conduct as persistent, predatory and abusive, but imposed a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years, citing the extraordinary delay in concluding the case and Slade’s demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation. He must complete 80 hours of unpaid work, undertake 15 rehabilitation activities, pay compensation to the victims and remain on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years. Slade resigned after a 23-year policing career; subsequent misconduct proceedings found his actions amounted to gross misconduct, and he was placed on the College of Policing Barred List.

Billy Foad was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to stalking involving serious alarm or distress during a six-week online harassment campaign in 2024. He shared a woman’s personal details, address, photographs and a secretly recorded call, made threats and accused her partner of rape, prompting the woman to relocate with her family. Judge Edmund Fowler imposed a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years, alongside mental-health treatment, alcohol monitoring and rehabilitation requirements. Foad was also given a 10-year restraining order and banned from posting about the victim or her family on social media.

Ronan Cambridge, 26, of Rochester, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to four years and 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to meeting a child following sexual grooming, sexual activity with a child and making indecent images of a child. Police found the 15-year-old pregnant victim hiding in his home, and Cambridge continued contacting and engaging in sexual activity with her despite being told her age and being placed on bail with a no-contact condition. The judge described the offending as deliberate and sustained. Cambridge will serve two-thirds of the sentence, less time already spent on remand, and is subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and sex offender notification requirements.

Gary Vale was jailed for three and a half years after being convicted of stalking his former partner between September 2023 and May 2024. The harassment included persistent messages, highly personal Facebook posts, threats to reveal private information, references to suicide and a gunshot-like sound from his campervan outside the victim’s home. The victim described severe anxiety, fear and lasting trauma affecting both her and her children. The judge said Vale’s conduct was deliberate, persistent and intended to maximise fear and distress, noting his limited insight, lack of remorse and continuing risk to partners. Vale maintains his innocence and intends to appeal; he is also subject to a stalking prevention order and is under investigation over allegations involving another partner.

Gianni Birch and Henry Fowler pleaded guilty to affray after a violent street brawl near Aldi in Cliftonville, Margate, involving dog-lead whippings, a golf club and a woman being knocked unconscious. Judge Simon Taylor KC said the participants should be ashamed and imposed 12-month community orders with electronically monitored curfews from 5pm to 3:30am for six weeks, intended to restrict their summer evenings. Fowler also received rehabilitation requirements, while the court acknowledged Birch’s health difficulties and urged him to engage better with support.

Jennifer Jamieson, 28, admitted suffocating her partner Patrick Sinden, assaulting him while holding a glass, damaging a PlayStation disc and threatening him with knives during a volatile relationship at their Ashford-area home. The offences were recorded on video and occurred over several months in 2024 and early 2025. Canterbury Crown Court rejected her attempt to withdraw her guilty pleas. Citing her ADHD, emotional personality disorder, difficult childhood, previous good character and engagement with rehabilitation programmes, Judge Simon Taylor KC suspended a 16-month prison sentence for 20 months. Jamieson must complete rehabilitation, drug treatment, mental-health treatment and unpaid work, and is subject to a five-year restraining order.

A schoolgirl confronted Barber Lutfi Ekici after discovering he was taking photos of her on a train between Yalding and Paddock Wood. Ekici fled the station but was arrested shortly after, later claiming the girl had provoked him, a statement he denied making when questioned. The court heard evidence of his actions, the victim’s distress, and his initial denials before ultimately pleading guilty to voyeurism. The judge imposed a two-year community order, citing time served, lack of prior convictions, and the need to reduce future risk. Ekici must also complete unpaid work, rehabilitation activities, and pay prosecution costs.

A man from Wouldham was jailed eight months for breaching a sexual harm prevention order less than three weeks after his release from prison. An unannounced visit revealed undisclosed computer use, though no illegal images were found. The judge noted past extensive offending and said the breach showed continued disregard for court orders. The sentence will run concurrently with his existing recall, which lasts until September next year.

A Kent Police constable, Daniel Tondeur, testified at Maidstone Crown Court that brief penetration of a female colleague during consensual sexual activity was accidental and unintended. Prosecutors argue the woman had repeatedly stated she did not want intercourse and that he deliberately ignored her wishes. Tondeur denies the charge, asserting he stopped immediately when asked and believes the allegation arose from personal frustration after their relationship ended. The complainant maintains she clearly refused sex and confronted him later. The trial continues.

A speeding and uninsured delivery driver, Rosie Hanson, received a suspended 16‑month sentence for causing the death of pedestrian Ryan Phillips in Sheerness. Evidence showed she lost control of her car while travelling well above the speed limit before mounting the pavement and striking Phillips, who was celebrating a new job. Victim impact statements described profound grief from his partner and mother. The judge concluded her actions were careless but not malicious, imposing community service, a driving ban and costs. The case led to a reduced speed limit on Marine Parade.

Darren Sutton, a former soldier from Sheerness, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to an 18‑year prison term with an additional four years on licence for repeatedly raping a vulnerable young girl in 2006. The court found he groomed the victim and committed some offences while living in army barracks. Despite character references highlighting his military service, the judge deemed him a dangerous offender who poses a continuing risk. The victim described long‑lasting trauma, including PTSD and emotional numbness. Prosecutors, defence statements, and the judge’s remarks all underscored the severity and lasting impact of the abuse.

A convicted murderer, Mark Jesse, pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to arson after setting fire to a Range Rover in Walderslade on the same day he killed Charles Belsham. Prosecutors dropped a handling stolen goods charge related to a Honda Jazz. Jesse and Ashley Robinson, who was found guilty of assisting him after the murder and admitted further offences including dangerous driving and arson, will both be sentenced on July 30.

A Kent Police officer, Daniel Tondeur, is on trial at Maidstone Crown Court accused of raping a fellow officer during an encounter at his home. Prosecutors say the complainant repeatedly stated she did not want penetrative sex, while Tondeur claims any penetration was accidental during consensual activity. The woman described being shocked, conflicted due to their shared profession, and initially in denial about what occurred. She later reported the incident after confiding in a colleague. The trial is ongoing.