From a sex tourist who abused vulnerable boys in Myanmar to a violent thug who used a knife to cut through his victim's arm, these are the stories of the criminals jailed this month in north Essex.
Sex tourist took indecent pictures of 11 vulnerable boys
A PAEDOPHILE who travelled to Myanmar as a sex tourist used his camera to take indecent pictures of 11 young and vulnerable boys.
Retired engineer Christopher Behn, 66, allegedly travelled to the far east country in 2016 for a guided cycling tour.
But Chelmsford Crown Court heard in reality he was a “sex tourist”, interested in using his status as a wealthy tourist to abuse vulnerable boys.
He used a camera, purchased on Ebay and later sold on, to take a total of 265 indecent images of young boys.
In 2020, the police seized his laptop and analysis identified 11 different boys, in various states of undress and aged between five and nine years old.
Multiple images were taken of each victim.
One of the photographs showed Behn’s hand in a cycling glove abusing a young boy.
In 1987, Behn was convicted and received a prison sentence after he took a number of boys into a wooded area and photographed them.
Behn admitted one count of sexual assault of a child, eight counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and two counts of taking indecent photographs of children.
Kevin Toomey, mitigating, said Behn had admitted his guilt at the earliest opportunity.
He said: “He is a man who is ageing. He is retired, he has lost numerous friends.
“He has been for, almost 40 years, involved with the local gun club. He’s lost his firearms licence.
“He’s an engineer by trade and training and repairs and has repaired for many, many years guns as a sideline and for the gun club.”
Judge Christopher Morgan deemed Behn, of Mersea Road, Colchester, to be a dangerous offender and imposed an extended sentence of six years imprisonment and six years on extended licence.
He said: “The facts are really quite stark. You were known and are a sexual tourist.
“You went to Myanmar, that is a country that has featured in the news on a consistent basis in the last few years.
“It is a country where the young children in particular and indeed adults are vulnerable by their circumstances, both social and economic.
“You are seen and would have been seen as a wealthy tourist.”
Dealer stashed wraps of Class A drugs between his buttocks
A DRUG dealer linked to an organised crime group was found to have stashed more than 100 wraps of Class A drugs between his buttocks.
Officers from Operation Raptor, who target county lines drugs gangs, were on patrol in Colchester when they saw four people approaching a car in Lisle Road.
Following what appeared to be a drug deal between the two parties, the officers stopped the car and detained three occupants.
During a strip search in custody, one of the passengers, Darryl Meade, was found to have concealed 60 wraps of heroin and 53 wraps of crack cocaine between his buttocks.
Drug dealing messages were found on a mobile phone, which had been seized from inside the car and was forensically linked to him.
The investigation found he was linked to a London-based organised crime group.
Meade, 29, of Pedro Street, Lower Clapton, London, admitted possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin when he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday.
He was jailed the same day and was ordered to serve a sentence of three years.
Speaking after Meade’s sentencing, PC Andy Sumner said: “Meade will now be spending months in prison and faces the risk of being in debt to the criminals he worked for because of the drugs they lost when he was arrested.
“This is a dangerous cycle that young people enticed by drug dealing don’t see when gangs flaunt cash in their face and make music videos that glamorise the grim reality of their lifestyle."
Vulnerable drug drunner was 'victim of modern day slavery'
A DRUG dealer who sold crack cocaine and heroin to an undercover police officer acted out of fear and was a victim of modern slavery, a court heard.
Kenneth Blinkho, 33, has remained in prison for 16 months awaiting sentence after he admitted supplying Class A drugs to a police officer.
Ipswich Crown Court heard the undercover officer acquired the telephone number of a drugs line in October 2019.
He met with Blinkho on two separate days in Clacton, purchasing heroin and cocaine.
Barry Gilbert, mitigating in court yesterday, said his client had remained locked up at HMP Norwich for an “awfully long time” awaiting the conclusion of the case.
He said: “Mr Blinkho is a longterm user of drugs, he was with his sister in her flat and he was essentially being cuckooed.
“We considered for quite some time as to whether a trial should be run on the basis there was some kind of duress, but eventually for all sorts of reasons we decided a guilty plea was the right way forward.
“As time goes on it becomes a matter of pragmatism, with him sitting inside for longer than he was possibly going to.”
Cuckooing is a term used to describe the act of dealers taking over the home of their vulnerable victim to serve as a base.
Mr Gilbert said it was accepted his client was a victim of modern day slavery.
Blinkho, of Elm Road, Clacton, admitted three counts of supplying Class A drugs, on the basis he was threatened and coerced into doing so.
The court heard he was threatened with a knife by another dealer.
Recorder Antony Dunne said: “I am going to pass sentence today which allows for your immediate release.”
Blinkho was sentenced to two years and three months imprisonment, but will be released from custody as he has already served half of his sentence.
Mr Dunne added: “I remind myself of the impact of Covid on conditions in prisons.
“It is hoped conditions will soon improve but while conditions remain as they are it is harsher than in normal times.”
Violent thug launched vicious attack with 'Rambo-style blade'
A THUG wielding a "Rambo-style" blade sliced through a man’s arm and left his scarred victim reliving the vicious attack in his nightmares.
Liam Lofting, 23, severed muscles, arteries and nerves when he brought a fearsome knife down with force onto the right arm of his victim in Clacton.
The attack, carried out with a “zombie-style” blade, was launched without motive, Ipswich Crown Court heard.
In May last year, the victim visited a friend at a block of flats near Clacton seafront in order to collect some items of clothing.
As he entered the flats, he spotted a masked and hooded Lofting and the pair exchanged a brief greeting.
The court heard the victim knew Lofting through a mutual friend.
Read more: Thug locked up for slicing man with 'zombie knife'
Victim of vicious 'zombie knife' attack describes impact of assault When the victim left a few minutes later, he was set upon by Lofting, bringing his right arm up to defend himself as the thug swung the blade.
The knife sliced almost clean through his arm.
The victim was airlifted to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, in Cambridge, where his injury was described as “life and limb threatening”.
The cut had severed an artery, nerves and muscle before making a small cut in his right humerus bone.
The victim said: “I have this wariness that has crept into my dreams, so I can’t escape it there.”
Lofting, of North Road, Clacton, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Howard Cohen, mitigating, said his client has no previous convictions and suffered with a number of mental health conditions.
The court heard Lofting, of North Road, Clacton, had served as a “model prisoner” at HMP Norwich since his remand last summer.
Recorder Sally O’Neill QC deemed Lofting to be a dangerous offender and sentenced him to eight years imprisonment.
Child rapist locked up for 13 years after historic offences
A MAN who raped and sexually abused a girl has been jailed for 13 years.
Simon Jacobs, 58, of Chase Lane, Dovercourt, raped and indecently assaulted his victim, a girl under the age of 15 when the first offence took place.
At the Old Bailey, Judge Simon Mayo QC ordered Jacobs to serve a total sentence of 13 years for the nine attacks with at least two thirds to be served in custody.
Jacobs had denied but was convicted of six counts of indecent assault and three of rape between 1999 and 2003 when he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court in April.
The court heard his crimes only came to light when the victim reported the abuse to the police last year.
The jury was told during his trial Jacobs would buy the girl gifts in order to “buy her silence”.
Read more: Bravery of victim praised as Dovercourt child rapist jailed
A YOUNG dealer found with thousands of pounds worth of drugs was warned by his mother he was “slipping deeper and deeper into darkness”.
Benjamin Senior, 21, was found with several different types of illicit substances and kept a ledger detailing deals worth almost £40,000.
Stephen Rose, prosecuting at Ipswich Crown Court, said police officers initially acted on intelligence received relating to two cars.
In March 2019, they noted a blue Mini Cooper parked in De Vere Road, Earls Colne, which was then joined by a Vauxhall driven by Senior.
Police approached Senior, of Atlas Road, Earls Colne, and told him they would search the cars.
Mr Rose said Senior became “reluctant and agitated” in relation to a particular container found in the Vauxhall.
He said it contained coffee which would spoil if opened.
But officers weren’t fooled, opening the container to find 16 of wraps of cannabis.
Also seized from the Vauxhall was £9,450 in cash, 17 resealable bags of cocaine and two vials of testosterone.
The total street value of the drugs seized from the Vauxhall came to £6,786.
From the Mini Cooper, officers seized 56 bags of high-purity cocaine, 472 MDMA tablets, 26 bags of cannabis and two bricks of cannabis resin, all with a total worth of £24,503.
As a result of the find, officers searched Senior’s home, finding two bags of cocaine worth £352 in his bedroom.
They also found a letter from his mother, despairing at his slide “deeper and deeper into darkness”.
It warned against his association with people who “he thinks are his friends”, and referred to the use of weapons.
Police also seized a diary with references to cocaine, cannabis and transactions totalling £39,796.
Senior admitted two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, two of possession with intent to supply class B drugs and possession of a class C drug.
George Wills, mitigating, said his client, had behaved inmaturely and had since undertaken sessions to improve his thinking skills.
He said: “He slipped into a place where he frankly had no control over it anymore and was unable to get out.”
Senior was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment.
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