A MAN has been found guilty of raping a complete stranger in her home in Chadwell St Mary.

Ricardas Tiskus, 39, of no fixed address, was found guilty of rape, attempted rape and criminal damage today, Tuesday, May 14, following a trial Basildon Crown Court.

He is due to be sentenced at the same court tomorrow, Wednesday, May 15.

At around 3pm on November 23, 2018, the police received a 999 call that quickly cut off.

The control handler listened to a recording of the call and heard a woman shouting that she was being attacked.

We called the number back and Tiskus answered the phone, claiming everything was okay.

The victim then bravely shouted again that she had been attacked by a man who had broken into her home. We attended and found Tiskus in the victim’s bedroom partially dressed.

He was arrested and while in handcuffs he urinated against a wall inside the property.

Tiskus was later charged with oral rape and attempted vaginal rape.

Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Truss, of Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said: “Tiskus managed to get inside the property before casually sitting in the lounge while drinking cans of beer.

“The woman walked downstairs to find him and initially thought he was her daughter’s friend.

“The victim engaged in conversation with him and allowed Tiskus to use her toilet upstairs.

“He came back down just in his underwear before dragging her upstairs and subjected her to a horrific ordeal in her own home.

“During this attack the victim bravely managed to call us and following some quick actions by our control room, we responded and found Tiskus within the property.

“I would like to sincerely thank the victim, who has shown an enormous amount of courage throughout this investigation.

“Tiskus, a dangerous sexual predator, will now face a lengthy custodial prison sentence for his actions.”

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A MAN and a woman, arrested in connection with the death of a man in Grays, will appear in court later this month to face charges of assault.

Dexter Riley, 20, and 47-year-old Nicola Mayger, both of no fixed address, have been summonsed to appear at Basildon Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, May 23.

It follows allegations of an assault against a man in Grays High Street at around 5.40pm on June 28, 2018.

The 56-year-old victim, John Hicks, sadly died in hospital several days after the incident, on July 4.

His death has since been declared as non-suspicious.

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ESSEX Police are appealing for witnesses to a robbery in South Ockendon.

Five teenage boys approached a 17-year-old boy in Garron Lane at 6.40pm on Wednesday, May 8.

He was assaulted, threatened with a knife and robbed of his Apple iPhone. He suffered minor injuries.

The suspects left the scene in a grey Ford.

Three 17-year-old boys from Hornchurch, Rainham and Upminster were arrested on suspicion of robbery and released on bail until June 2 while enquiries continue.

A spokesperson said: “A number of people were in the area at the time but have yet to come forward. We are asking anyone who saw what happened to please contact us as they may have vital information to assist with our investigation.

“We would also like to speak to anyone who may have filmed the incident.
Contact Grays CID on 101.

“Alternatively, contact the Crimestoppers charity 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or use the anonymous online form at Crimestoppers-uk.org.”

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DO you recognise these two people?

Essex Police want to speak to them in connection with a burglary at an address in Lenthall Avenue, Grays which took place on February 22.

If you recognise these two people or have any other information please call on 101 quoting the crime reference number 42/28945/19 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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ESSEX Police want to speak to these two men in connection with a burglary at an address in Portsea Road, Tilbury which took place at around 5.50pm on April 18.

If you recognise them or have any information about the incident please call us on 101 quoting the crime reference number 42/61191/19 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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A MAN has been arrested in connection with a robbery in Tilbury where a man was threatened with a hammer and forced to withdraw cash.

The 21-year-old victim was walking near to Post Office in Civic Square when he was grabbed by a man shortly after midnight today, Saturday, May 4.

A 28 year-old man from Tilbury was arrested yesterday (Sunday, May 19) on suspicion of robbery and is currently in custody.

The same man has also been arrested in connection with another robbery and an attempted robbery in Civic Square on May 9.

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A 28-year-old from Tilbury man has been charged with robbery.

An Essex Police spokesperson said: ‘We were called shortly after midnight on May 4 with reports of a robbery on Civic Square. The victim, a man in his 20s, was approached by a man who threatened him with a hammer and demanded that he withdraw money from a nearby cash machine. The man then hit the victim in the stomach with the hammer.

“On May 9 we were called shortly after 5.15am, with reports that a man had approach a man in his 20s, demanded that he withdraw money from a cash machine, threatening the victim with a knife.

A short time later at around 6.25am, we received further reports that a man had approached a man in his 60s on Civic Square, threatened the victim and demanded he go to the cash point. The victim shouted for help and the man ran away.

Kurtis Randall of Leicester Road was arrested on May 19 in connection and subsequently charged with two counts of robbery, attempted robbery, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and threatening a person with an offensive weapon.

“He is due to appear at Basildon Magistrate’s Court today, Tuesday, May 21”.

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A MAN’S body found in water in Grays earlier this month has been formally identified as Valentin Kachanov.

The 27-year-old went missing from his home in West Thurrock on Friday, February 8. He was sadly found deceased in a river near Wouldham Road on Tuesday, May 7.

Formal identification has taken place and his family have been informed.

The results of a post mortem examination were inconclusive, and further tests will be carried out. However, it found no obvious indication of third party involvement.

Enquiries are continuing to try and fully understand the circumstances as to how Mr Kachanov came to be in the water.

A 22-year-old man from Grays who was arrested on suspicion of murder has been released under investigation while those enquiries continue.

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A GRAYS man has been charged with a number of alleged offences in relation to harassment of another.

Stuart Durkin, aged 57, of Porter Close, Grays has been charged with the following.

On 26/12/2018 at Grays, with intent to cause another harassment, alarm or distress,used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour, thereby causing that person or another harassment, alarm or distress.

On 31/12/2018 at Grays, with intent to cause another harassment, alarm or distress,used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour, thereby causing that person or another harassment, alarm or distress.

On 31/12/2018 at Essex in the county of Essex had with you, without good reason or lawful authority, in a public place Grays Police Station, an article which had a blade or was sharply pointed, namely a fixed blade.

Durkin was remanded in custody until next appearance at Basildon magistrates court.

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A GRAYS man has been jailed with the theft of his father’s bicycle

Dylan Coster, aged 19, of Springfield Road, Grays pled guilty at Basildon magistrates court to the following.

Between 04/06/2018 and 21/07/2018 at Grays stole a specialised bicycle, $780 US Dollars, £70.00 sterling cash, to the value of £1670.00, belonging to another.

Coster was fined £1,000.00.

He was also committed to detention in a young offender institution for eight weeks. The reason was given was the offence was a breach of trust being theft from father and in family home.

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A MAN with the same name as a wanted paedophile was wrongly arrested “in one of the worst cases” of mistaken identity, his lawyers say.

Zimbabwe-born Godfrey Tshuma, 61, was accused of raping a six-year-old girl in South Africa.

He was held in prison overnight and told he faced extradition from the UK until a judge threw out the case.

The Met Police said it had received a complaint and “the actions taken are being reviewed”.

Mr Tshuma, who lives in South Ockendon, said being arrested was “the worst moment of his life”.

He was arrested by Metropolitan Police officers – on behalf of South African authorities – at an address in Romford on the morning of 5 February as he prepared to take his wife to work.

Mr Tshuma was detained at HMP Wandsworth before being released from prison on 6 February and discharged by magistrates on 12 February, who ordered his costs to be paid.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard he had only been to South Africa once for a few hours in transit and could not have committed the rape.

As well as his fingerprints not matching the suspect, he also had a different date of birth.

The father of four said he feared he would not see his wife or children again if extradited.

“I have been through a living nightmare and I am so relieved I have been cleared.” he said.

“Despite this, I feel like it has ruined my life. People think there is no smoke without fire.”

Sean Caulfield, who represented Mr Tshuma said: “This is one of the worst cases of mistaken identity I have ever seen”.

Mr Caulfield from lawyers Hodge Jones & Allen said it was still fighting for an international arrest warrant against their client to be rescinded.

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A MAN has been charged with two counts of robbery, one count of attempted robbery, possession of a knife and threatening a person with an offensive weapon following incidents in Tilbury.

Kurtis Randall, 28, of Leicester Road, Tilbury, has been remanded to appear at Basildon Crown Court on Tuesday, June 18.

We arrested a man on Sunday, May 19, in connection with three incidents in Civic Square between Saturday, May 4, and Thursday, May 9.

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FIVE men have been arrested in connection with the murder of Trevor Cowan in Grays.

Mr Cowan, 35, of Parsonage Road, Grays, was taken ill at his home on Thursday, April 18, and sadly later died in hospital.

We believe he had been assaulted in the days before his death.

More than 40 officers from the Serious Crime Directorate and the Operational Support Group carried out four warrants simultaneously at addresses in Tilbury, Grays, and Dagenham early this morning (Tuesday, May 28).

Three men from Tilbury – aged 18, 20, and 34 – a 28 year-old man from Dagenham and a 27 year-old man from Grays have all been arrested on suspicion of murder.

A sixth man, a 45 year-old from Tilbury, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with an incident where a man was shot in Raphael Avenue, Tilbury on September 26 last year.

We believe both incidents were targeted attacks with no risk to the wider public. We do not believe they are linked.

All six are currently in custody.

Two other men have also been arrested previously in connection with Mr Cowan’s death.

A 28 year-old arrested on suspicion of murder, aggravated burglary and theft of a motor vehicle is currently on bail until July 17.

Another man, 38 year-old David Guwazah, of Leighton Gardnes Basildon, has been charged with attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, two counts of assault, aggravated burglary, and possession of an offensive weapon.

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A pair of burglars have been jailed.

GEMMA Hawkins had gone to a man’s home in Chadwell Road, Grays, on April 16 last year.

After about an hour, the 39-year-old victim became concerned because Hawkins was constantly on her mobile phone or excusing herself to visit the bathroom.

Fearing she had stolen something from the house, he challenged her as she tried to leave the address.

A struggle ensued, during which he was hit on the head from behind.

He was knocked unconscious for a short time, and when he woke up he saw Hawkins and two men – one of them later identified as Dwayne Houssein – going into his house.

Houssein threatened the victim and Hawkins ripped a gold chain from around his neck. They also took three mobile phones, before leaving with the third suspect, who remains unidentified. Following an investigation, Hawkins was arrested in July and Houssein was arrested in November.

Hawkins, 35, of Otterden Street in Sydenham, south east London, and Houssein, 37, of no fixed address, denied charges of burglary and stood trial at Basildon Crown Court.

They were convicted on Thursday, May 23 and were sentenced the same day. Houssein was jailed for four years and Hawkins was jailed for three years.

They were also made subject of a restraining order.

Investigating officer PC Beth Finch, of Grays CID, said: “After a long trial, I am pleased these two burglars are now serving custodial sentences for their crimes and that justice has been done for the victim.”

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ESSEX Police has arrested two men on suspicion of aggravated burglary after responding to a call in South Ockendon yesterday, Monday, May 27.

A spokesperson said: “We were called just before midnight by a man reporting suspects armed with a knife tried to get access to an outbuilding in Easington Way.

The victim confronted the men, who ran from the scene.

“We arrested a 29-year-old man from South Ockendon and a 45-year-old man, of no fixed address, on suspicion of aggravated burglary and possession of an offensive weapon.

“One of the men was also arrested on suspicion of possession of drugs.

“They remain in custody for questioning”.

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CAN you help Essex Police find wanted man Marius Novoselenski?

The 27-year-old is wanted for breaching the conditions of his probation.

Novoselenski is 5ft 6ins tall and has short, dark hair. He has several tattoos on both arms, including his own name on his right forearm.

He has links to Grays and other areas of Thurrock.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call us on 101 or Crimestoppers in complete confidence on 0800 555 111.

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ESSEX Police officers have discovered hundreds of a cannabis plants at a building in Aveley.

A spokesperson said: “We executed a warrant at an address in Purfleet Road at around 7.50pm yesterday, Thursday, May 30.

Officers from Grays Community and Local Policing Teams and our Operational Support Group found many hundreds of plants, which are at various stages of growth, and equipment.

We continue to remain at the scene where we are conducting further enquiries.

Anyone with information is asked to call Grays CPT on 101 quoting incident 1063 of 30/05 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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A POLICE officer from Thurrock was commended by the Chief Constable for saving two lives on two separate occasions, one of which was when he was off-duty.

On Wednesday, May 29, PC Kyle Denning attended a commendation ceremony with his family at Essex Police Headquarters in Chelmsford to celebrate his actions of bravery and courageousness during two dangerous and difficult situations.

Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington presented Kyle with two commendations. A commendation is one of the highest honours a Chief Constable can give.

The first incident, Kyle was awarded for was a road traffic collision that he attended with colleagues. In April 2018, Kyle, PC Emma McIntyre-Major and PC Bradley Brown found an elderly man who had been in a road traffic collision in a remote location. The man was unresponsive and our officers immediately began performing life-saving first aid on him. They were performing CPR on him until an ambulance arrived. The man eventually began to breathe for himself and was rushed to hospital to receive the critical care he needed.

Emma, Bradley and Kyle were commended for their dedication, compassion and prompt action which saved a man’s life.

The second incident Kyle was awarded for took place while he was off-duty with his family. They were walking across a footbridge over the M20 motorway with their dog when he saw a woman sitting on the wrong side of the barrier who was intending to jump into the path of oncoming traffic below. Kyle climbed over the barrier and started to talk to the women until local police officers arrived. After speaking with the woman, Kyle and the officers managed to convince her to climb back over the barrier to safety. The woman was taken to hospital to receive medical treatment.

Kyle was commended for his bravery, compassion and determination which undoubtedly prevented a woman from taking her own life.

Chief Inspector Claire Talbot, District Commander for Thurrock, said: “I was pleased I was able to see Kyle collect his well-deserved awards.

“I’m really proud of him for his life-saving actions. He is a credit to the force and the people of Essex that he serves.”

PC Kyle Denning mentioned in this article is a local policing officer in Thurrock, which is one of the many options available to you when you become an officer with Essex Police. We’re currently recruiting police officers to join our police family. Find out if you ‘fit the bill’l by visiting our website: www.essex.police.uk/fitthebill

The post Thurrock police officer commended for saving two lives appeared first on Your Thurrock.

ESSEX Police are appealing for witnesses following a collision in Aveley which has left an elderly couple in hospital.

The crash happened at around 3.25pm today, Monday June 3, on Romford Road, Aveley, with the junction of Belhuswood Country Park, when the grey Ford Focus containing the couple was involved in a collision with a white Ford Transit.

The couple have been taken to hospital where they are being treated for their injuries.

Officers are investigating the incident and would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the collision or anyone with Dash Cam or CCTV footage.

Witnesses can contact officers at the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 101 or email collisionappeal@essex.pnn.police.uk

The post Appeal for witnesses following Aveley crash appeared first on Your Thurrock.

DRUG driving arrests have more than doubled this year, providing a clear focus for this summer’s drink and drug driving crackdown.

Between January and March 2018 there were 224 drug driving arrests but that figure has more than doubled to 470 during the same period this year.

That’s contributed to a 50 per cent rise in all drink and drug driving related arrests during the first three months of this year.

Acting Chief Inspector Sharn Taylor, Head of Roads Policing, said: “We’ve seen a big rise in the number of people arrested on suspicion of drug driving in recent months and it’s a real concern.

“Drug driving arrests outstripped drink driving arrests for the first time ever last November and since then we’ve regularly seen more arrests for it.

“It is totally unacceptable. Taking drugs like cocaine and cannabis is illegal anyway but to then get behind the wheel of a car, putting your life at risk as well as other road users, is reckless and we won’t stand for it.

“Could you live with yourself if you had a crash because you were drunk and you seriously injured or killed someone?

“More officers than ever are trained and equipped with drug wipes meaning if you drug drive we’re even more likely to catch you, arrest you, and get you off the road.

“My officers will be carrying proactive operations throughout the summer as well as acting on intelligence and stopping people driving erratically.

“If get caught drink or drug driving you could lose your licence. You could lose your job as a result and that could have a huge impact on you and your family.

“Simply, don’t do it. Our message this summer is drive safe, drive sober.”

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