SUSPECTED stolen property worth at least £250,000 was recovered during a search of premises.
Officers executed a search warrant at a site in Honiley Avenue, Wickford, on Wednesday 2 September and recovered property believed to have been stolen from two business units on the Boreham Industrial Estate in Boreham.
These included power tools, machinery, audio-visual equipment and computers. A Ford Transit van that was stolen was recovered in Cruick Avenue, South Ockendon, the same day.
Tatiana-adriana Racovita, 38, and Puiu-valentin Stoica, 48, both of Dock Road, Tilbury, were arrested and charged with two counts of burglary.
They were remanded in custody to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on 2 October.
The burglaries in Boreham took place sometime between Tuesday 1 September and Wednesday 2 September.
Enquiries remain ongoing.
Witnesses who saw anyone acting suspiciously on the Boreham Industrial Estate and Cruick Avenue in South Ockendon on those dates are asked to call Chelmsford CID on 101 quoting reference 42/138993/20.
You can also report online at https://www.essex.police.uk
Alternatively, you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or https://crimestoppers-uk.org
THERE is less than a week to go for those who live, work and travel in Essex to have their say on the future of roads policing.
People who have concerns about speeding or are worried about road safety in their area, can make their views known by taking part in this short online survey. www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/apccsaferoads
The Government is currently reviewing roads policing and what the future of traffic law enforcement may look like. As part of this review, the
Department for Transport is running a Call for Evidence in Roads Policing which seeks to identify what makes a difference and how the capability and capacity of enforcement services can be enhanced.
To support the review, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners Road Safety Portfolio is running a national public survey designed to understand public perception of road safety and roads policing enforcement.
The poll seeks to understand local communities’ perception for road law enforcement, risks to safety and fixed penalty notices.
The results will help inform Police and Crime Commissioners and feed into the submission to the Department for Transport’s Call for Evidence which is looking at how enforcement can be enhanced. Additionally, responses collected in participating force areas will be shared with the relevant PCC after the survey has closed.
Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: “Improving safety on our roads are priorities in both our Police and Crime Plan and Fire and Rescue Plan with our objective being to reduce harm on the roads and promote safer driving.
“More people in Essex die on our roads than in any other kind of accident or crime. That’s why it is so important that we contribute to this review.
Many residents and local councillors contact me with concerns about road safety, it’s a topic that comes up regularly at our public forums, so I know it is important to many people.
“The survey only takes a few moments of your time but could make such a difference in the future.”
People have until Wednesday, 30th September at 5pm to complete the survey.
A NEW advice line for businesses supporting employees experiencing or at risk of domestic abuse has been launched by crisis support charity Hestia.
1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will experience domestic abuse at some point in their lifetime with 10 per cent of victims reporting abuse at work (TUC, 2014). [i]
The Everyone’s Business Advice Line will be a point of contact for businesses, supporting them on how to approach disclosures of domestic abuse by their employees, particularly in light of Covid-19. They will also receive advice so that they can signpost staff to specialist domestic abuse services.
Hestia says lockdown has shown that home is not always safe for everyone, and with more people working remotely due to Covid-19, cases of domestic abuse are rising. The charity saw a 47 per cent increase in victims reaching out for information and support on its free domestic abuse app, Bright Sky.
While over 2.4 million people are affected by domestic abuse every year,[ii] it can be difficult for employers to recognise the signs and support those experiencing domestic abuse in their organisation. Hestia launched the Everyone’s Business programme to increase awareness and support in the workplace and have worked with over 70 organisations from the Metropolitan Police to Balfour Beatty.
Businesses play a significant role in supporting those who experience domestic abuse. Yet whilst 86 per cent employers agree they have a duty of care to support employees experiencing domestic abuse (Westmarland, 2017)[iii], fewer than one in three victims disclose the abuse at work, citing ‘shame’ and ‘privacy’ (TUC, 2014).
It’s also expensive, costing employers upwards of £14 billion every year, when measuring based on reduced employee productivity and lost output due to time off work (Oliver et al., 2019).[iv]
Lyndsey Dearlove, Head of Everyone’s Business Advice Line at Hestia said:
“Lockdown has meant victims have been away from their place of work, in isolation with their abusers, often with no way to seek support. Now, as more people return to their place of work, employers have a unique role to play in breaking the silence around domestic abuse.
By providing a free advice line that offers guidance, employers will be able to help their employees and direct them to practical support. When employers take action and respond to domestic abuse, we know it saves lives. For too long domestic abuse has been nobody’s business and it is time it becomes everyone’s business.”
Elizabeth Filkin, Chair, Employers Initiative on Domestic Abuse said:
“Members of the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse believe that domestic abuse is everyone’s business, and that businesses have a critical role to play in supporting those affected by domestic abuse. With Covid-19 and lockdown we know that domestic abuse, and at the same time employees may be finding it difficult to know how their staff are doing. We know that it’s not always easy to know what to do when domestic abuse, so having the Everyone’s Business Advice Line available for HR professionals or managers to support them and guide them is a very valuable resource.”
Susan Bright, Global Managing Partner for Diversity & Inclusion and Responsible Business at Hogan Lovells, said:
“Domestic abuse can have devastating consequences, and leave people faced with impossible life choices. Employers have an important role to play in supporting their employees, particularly this year and during the pandemic. We welcome the launch of the new advice line and hope that it will ease some of the pressure on those who are vulnerable.”
A survivor of domestic abuse said:
“When my employer started working with Hestia, it was a turning point. This was my last resort to get help. I met with their Independent Domestic Violence Advocate and talked about my experience. It was the first time I felt believed. It was like a weight had been lifted. Without this service, I don’t know what would have happened. It is vital that businesses can provide this type of service. I want to tell anyone who is in the same situation I was in that talking to someone can make so much difference – speak to your employer.”
For more information and the contact details, visit https://www.hestia.org/everyonesbusiness
A MEMBER of a drug-dealing gang linked to a series of violent incidents and anti-social behaviour in Thurrock has today, Friday 25 September, been made the subject of a further interim gang injunction.
Roland Douherty, the leader of the so-called C17 gang was made the subject of the interim order at Chelmsford County Court.
Douherty, along with ten other members of his gang, was originally made the subject of the tough gang injunction order back in 2017 following partnership work between Essex Police’s West Operation Raptor team, Thurrock Borough Council and brave members of the community.
Essex Police secured the original injunctions after the gang plagued Grays town centre, town park and beach areas, as well as Lakeside, dealing drugs in those areas and committing crime and disorder.
At the time, the court was told that the gang preyed on young children in the community, enticing them into the gang and then exploiting them by getting them to run drugs and carry cash from deals or knives.
As a result, 11 members of the gang were made the subject of the strict gang injunctions which banned them from large parts of Thurrock, from associating with each other and from making so-called ‘drill’ music videos, which have violent lyrics and perpetuate gang violence and rivalry.
The orders lasted for two years so, today, Essex Police successfully secured a further interim gang injunction against Douherty, 20, of Abersham Road, Dalston.
Under the terms of the order, he is banned from: associating with a list of people in public, unless with police authorisation or for court appearances; being friends with, associating with or sending messages to any member of this list on social media; entering Grays Town Park, Grays Town Centre, Lakeside shopping centre and retail park, Chafford Hundred and Grays railway stations, Seabrook Rise in Grays, Grays Beach Riverside Park and Dilkes Park, Broxburn Parade & Derwent Parade shopping and residential area in South Ockendon; featuring in, or making any video inciting violence or promoting criminal activity; being in a group of two or more in a public place where the group is behaving in a manner causing or likely to cause any person to feel intimidated or fear for their safety; possessing any type of firearm or imitation firearm; possessing any knife or bladed article in a public place; possessing controlled drugs or drug paraphernalia; possessing more than £100 in cash; running away from a police officer when requested to stop; owning, using or possessing any mobile phone or SIM card which has not been disclosed to the police; and failing to make any mobile phone, SIM card, PINs or passcodes available on request for inspection by the police.
If Douherty does not comply with these conditions, he faces fines, imprisonment and seizure of any assets.
Of the remaining gang members who were originally subject of the injunction, a number of the juveniles are no longer associating with the gang and have positively engaged with the Youth Offending Service. Several of the other adult members have moved away from the area and also cut ties with the gang.
Following today’s hearing, PC Jonathan Kemp, of the West Operation Raptor team, said: “In the last two years we have successfully reduced the harmful impact the C17 gang were having on the Grays and Thurrock area.
“A number of members of the gang who were subject to the original injunction have moved away or engaged positively with the Youth Offending Service.
“Douherty has, unfortunately, failed to learn the lessons of the last two years and, as such, will remain the subject of an interim injunction which will help us continue to stop him from causing harm and committing crime in the community.
“Over the past two years we have worked with our partners at Thurrock Council and with members of the community to ensure this gang were unable to continue dealing drugs, perpetrating violence and making life a misery for residents.
“We will continue to do all we can to ensure that we do whatever it takes, however long it takes, to stop them and others like them from committing crime on the streets of our county.”
Today’s hearing at Chelmsford County Court was adjourned and a hearing for a full gang injunction will be heard at a later date.
Operation Raptor teams were set up by Essex Police in the North, South and West of the county to tackle drug and gang-related crime.
If you have information about drug or gang-related crime in your community contact Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Chief Constable commends officers, staff and partners for their work to tackle a violent gang in Thurrock.
FIVE police officers, five members of police staff and two members of partner agency staff have been commended by Essex Police Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington for their hard work and dedication in protecting the people of Essex, keeping them safe and catching criminals.
Together with proud family members and special guests, they were invited to a socially-distanced ceremony which adhered to the Rule of 6 at Essex Police Headquarters in Chelmsford on Friday 25 September, where they were recognised by Mr Harrington for their exceptional service to our communities in Essex.
Following a minute’s silence for the Metropolitan Police officer shot dead in Croydon earlier in the day, Mr Harrington presented each with a commendation, which is one of the highest honours a Chief Constable can give.
They were commended for a multi-agency operation to target the C17 gang within the Thurrock district. Two years ago, C17 were connected to serious violence, drug supply and anti-social behaviour. Young, vulnerable people were regularly targeted and recruited into the group and caused significant issues within the Thurrock community.
However, the team’s hard work led to the granting of 11 civil gang injunctions which have helped to disrupt C17’s criminal activity. They continue to disrupt the gang and continue to seek further injunctions, including one interim injunction granted at Chelmsford County Court earlier in the day against the leader of the gang.
Mr Harrington said: “We are here to commend colleagues for some fantastic work. We are here to help people, keep them safe and catch the bad guys and this job does all three things. This is extraordinary work done by ordinary people who are making the world a better place.
“These are pioneering gang injunctions which target gang members but are also aimed at diverting young people from crime. The team has followed them up relentlessly across the country because we want to keep our young people and our communities safe from harm.
“It takes a community of professionals to solve these problems and there has been some great partnership working with Thurrock Community Safety Partnership and Youth Offending Service to achieve this. The district is safer because of your work.”
Among those commended for their work was PC Steve Fraser who, with a colleague in Thurrock Community Policing Team, initially identified the risk the gang posed for the local community. They targeted the gang with regular stop checks, proactive patrols, submitting intelligence and obtaining impact statements from the local community.
“I feel a great sense of pride for being recognised for all the hard work and months and months of investigation and evidence-gathering. A colleague and I became aware of problems because of our proactive street policing and, when we started looking into them, we identified bigger issues, which is when we got the Operation Raptor street gangs team involved.” PC Steve Fraser
DC Dan Stevens was commended for his work with multiple agencies to review arrests of and intelligence for gang members. He provided a detailed statement to court which detailed the harm caused by the gang and regularly attended court after any breaches to ensure suspects were remanded.
“I’m so proud as the team has worked really well together and it’s nice to see everyone recognised for the hard work we have put into keeping young people safe. When we were first putting the operation together, a young gang member was murdered in London and that concentrated our efforts. “The gangs thought they could act with impunity in public areas but the gang injunctions have shown them this is not the case. It has also shown the public we won’t tolerate this sort of activity and that we will target those who seek to cause harm through violence, drug-dealing and the criminal exploitation of young people.” DC Dan Stevens
PC Jon Kemp helped to gather intelligence and evidence to submit to the courts. He played a key role in the enforcement of the injunction, regularly leading arrest attempts for any breaches and attending remand hearings in person. He regularly briefed officers and circulated details to ensure that prolific offenders were targeted.
“This is the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people, including Thurrock Council, over the past two years. It is great to be recognised for it. It’s been good to have the courts supporting our applications for injunctions. This has made Thurrock a safer place because the gang are no longer a problem in the town centres they were directly affecting.” PC Jon Kemp
Force solicitor Fiona Philpott and assistant solicitor Claire Holmes provided clear and constructive guidance in achieving best evidence to provide to the courts. They reviewed the submission of all paperwork to ensure it was legally and factually correct and they continue to advise in the enforcement of the injunction.
“I feel very proud and humble that the contribution of Legal Services has been recognised in this way. It is lovely to know we have made a difference and helped to make the streets of Thurrock safer.”
ESSEX Police are appealing for witness following reports of an assault in London Road, Stanford-Le-Hope.
A spokesperson said: “We were called at around 6.30pm on Tuesday 1 September, to an altercation between two men.
A white van was reported to have pulled up and a man described as in his 20s, 6ft tall with long black hair tied up in a bun, got out the vehicle.
An altercation then took place between him and a man in his 20s, who was hit over the head.
The man in his 20s was taken to hospital with a head injury.
If anyone was in the area and saw what happened, has CCTV or dash cam footage please call Grays CID on 101 quoting crime reference 42/138765/20 or you can report it online at www.essex.police.uk.
ESSEX Police can provisionally name a man who died following a collision in Tilbury on Monday 21 September.
A blue Volkswagen Crafter van was in collision with a stationary HGV on the A1089 Dock Approach Road from Tilbury towards the A13 shortly after 3.35pm.
Sadly a passenger in the van died at the scene.
He can be named as Douglas Edgar, 25, from Barton Seagrave, Kettering.
The van driver remains in hospital receiving treatment.
The driver of the HGV was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been released under investigation while we carry out further enquiries.
Any drivers who were in the area at the time and have dash cam footage of the incident or saw what happened are asked to contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 101 or email
CollisionAppeal@essex.pnn.police.uk, quoting incident 764 of 21 September.
A MAN, jailed five years ago for leaving a man brain damaged after beating him over a cigarette, has been found guilty of murder and jailed for life after his victim died from complications related to the attack.
Jake Tierney-Campbell, now 25, was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm and jailed for 14-years in 2015 for the horrific assault on Daniel Bodimeade.
Mr Bodimeade had been standing outside his home address in Brooke Road, #Grays on 14 June 2015 when he was approached by a then drunken 20-year-old Tierney-Campbell who asked him for a cigarette.Without warning, in a horrific and unprovoked attack, Tierney-Campbell began kicking and punching Mr Bodimeade multiple times.
When Mr Bodimeade eventually slumped against the wall, Tierney-Campbell continued his attack with such ferocity that Mr Bodimeade’s head was seen by witnesses to repeatedly bounce off the wall.
Mr Bodimeade was rushed to hospital where he was found to have suffered a devastating brain haemorrhage.
In the years after the attack Mr Bodimeade required 24-hour care in a specialist hospital and remained in a permanent vegetative state.
He had to be fed through a tube and required up to three carers a day to manage his specialist needs.
Sadly, on February 23 2019, Mr Bodimeade, who was 43 at the time, died. A post-mortem examination found he died of a rare inflammation caused by his feeding tube that he relied upon to survive due to the brain injuries caused by the attack.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard detectives charged Tierney-Campbell with murder in December 2019.
Following a two-week trial Tierney-Campbell was found guilty by a jury today, Friday 2 October. Following the verdict Tierney-Campbell was sentenced immediately to serve life with a minimum term of 15 years in jail.
OVER the last fortnight Essex Police has received a number of reports of people acting suspiciously around young people.
This has coincided with posts circulating on social media which has caused parents, guardians and carers some concern.
Today Chief Supt Andrew Mariner is reassuring parents.
He said: ” I want to personally reassure parents and others across the county regarding social media speculation which has been underway for the last fortnight.
“As a parent myself, I want you to know that I absolutely understand the worry something like this causes. We mustn’t jump to conclusions based on things we see on our social media feeds.
“Essex Police has received a number of reports about people acting suspiciously around young people.
“We have looked into every report, and, in nearly every case, what has been reported has not matched the facts our officers have discovered on the ground.
“We will always investigate reports of this kind and it’s right that people call us if they have a concern.
“We have put a number of measures in place to ensure we look at all reports that come in.
“I can tell you we have seen no links between the reports we have received. “However, yesterday, on Thursday 1st October, there was one incident in Halstead involving parents and their child, and I would appeal for anyone who has any information about this to get in contact with us.”
If you have any information about the incident in Halsted or any concerns contact Essex Police 101 or 999 in an emergency.
A GANG member who breached an injunction six times has been jailed for 20-weeks.
Carlito Hall, 21, is a member of the so-called C17 gang in Thurrock who were made the subject of a gang injunction.
Under the terms of the court order Hall and other specified C17 gang members are banned from large parts of Thurrock.
The injunction also prevents them from: wearing any hooded items of clothing except in bad weather, associating with other members of the gang specified by the order, or congregating in a public place in a group of two or more where the group is behaving in a way likely to make a personal feel intimidated or afraid for their safety.
Despite the order, Hall was caught wearing a hooded top, being in possession of mobile phones which weren’t registered under the injunction, but most prominently being in possession of items used in drug supply.
At a hearing at Chelmsford County Court yesterday, Friday 2 October, Carlito Hall of Lewis Avenue, London was sentenced to 20-weeks in prison for the six breaches of the gang injunction.
Under the terms of the order gang members are banned from: entering Grays town centre, park, Lakeside and Grays Beach Riverside Park.
They are also banned from making drill videos, wearing hoodies or face coverings, associating with C17 members and, for some, being in the company of girls aged under 16. The gang members must also give Essex Police all details of their social media profiles.
The gang first came to the attention of the Operation Raptor team in May 2017 as they became heavily involved in drug dealing and violence.
The gang had been plaguing the town centre, town park and beach areas of Grays as well as Lakeside, dealing drugs in those areas and committing crime and disorder.
Evidence gathered by police, included detail of how the gang have preyed on young children in the community, enticing them into the gang and then exploiting them by getting them to run drugs, carry cash from deals or knives.
The younger members are also used to act as “spotters” or “distracters” to look out for police whilst others are carrying out deals.
The C17 are also known to target vulnerable drug users, using violence and intimidation to take over their homes for use as a drug dealing base (a practice known as ‘cuckooing’).
Violence around the gang is mainly borne out of rivalry with other gangs and drug lines. The violence and rivalry has played out in numerous so-called ‘drill’ music videos filmed by members of C17 which feature weapons and provocative language and gestures.
Drill is a type of rap music that originated in South Chicago in America. It features dark, violent lyrics and often used to perpetuate and even escalate gang disputes. If you spot the C17 gang in areas of Thurrock which they are banned from or breaching any of the specified terms of the order, call Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Essex Police set up Operation Raptor teams in the North, South and West of the county to tackle drug and gang-related violence.
A MAN who locked a woman he’d met on a night out in a car and repeatedly raped her has been jailed for 10 years.
Olawale Hassan had met the woman on a night out in Southend on 25 February 2017.
The woman, who is in her 20s, was on a night out with a friend when she was approached by Hassan who claimed he was called ‘David’ and was a music producer.
Hassan bought the woman a drink and before accompanying her and her friend to another nightclub.
Throughout the evening he repeatedly asked for her number and asked if she wanted to go back to his hotel room, which she rejected on each occasion.
At closing time, the victim was promised by Hassan that he would get her home safely. Her friend had left with her partner.
Initially, Hassan drove in the wrong direction along the seafront and has smoked cannabis in the car.
After turning the car around, the victim realised that she was not safe.
Hassan pulled the car up along Western Esplanade and the doors were locked when the woman tried to open them.
Here, he raped her 3 times and sexually assaulted by penetration once.
Hassan later took her home where she reported the incident to the police and was supported by specialist officers.
Officers were able to identify and locate Hassan, of Falcon Avenue, Grays, through studying CCTV footage, telephone data, and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) data.
The 33 year-old, who was a musician who also went by the moniker ‘Goldie 1’, was also identified using DNA.
He was arrested at the Seaway carpark on 9 March 2017 and was later charged with three counts of rape and one charge of assault by penetration.
Following a trial at Basildon Crown Court he was found guilty of all charges on 18 September and at the same court today (Tuesday 6 October) was jailed for a total of 10 years and banned from driving for eight years and nine months.
He was also put on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and given an indefinite restraining order.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Victoria De’ath said: “Firstly, I would like to thank the victim for her courage in reporting this incident.
“When I first met her, she blamed herself for getting in Hassan’s car but has now recognised just how dangerous this man is and that none of this is her fault.
“She didn’t want him to hurt anyone else and this has been her motivation for three and-a-half years – to do what she can to keep other people in her community safe.
“Throughout the trial, it became apparent just how manipulative and calculated Hassan was in this attack.
“I would encourage anyone who has survived any sexual assault to report it.
“Specialist officers, like me, will listen to you and you will be supported by our partner agencies as this woman was.
“I hope that today’s result brings some comfort to this courageous and inspirational woman who is now rebuilding her life knowing that Hassan is safely behind bars”
Mr Bullock worked for Grays-based Thameside Taxis and was well-known, liked and respected across the Grays community.
A resident of Hathaway Gardens, he had worked for Thameside for eight years and was highly regarded by customers.
Tanya Harrington, a director of Thameside Taxis, said: “Norman had been with Thameside for eight years and liked to be called Norm.
“He had only recently returned to work since the March lock down.
“He was a great man and will be missed dearly by me and the team at Thameside.”
The crash happened around 3.30am on the A128 Brentwood Road at its junction with the B188 in Orsett, where the red Peugeot 308 taxi driven by Mr Bullock and a black BMW X5 collided.
A statement from Essex Police said: “We have been progressing our enquiries and would like to speak to anyone who saw the collision and saw anyone leaving the scene.
“We’d also like to speak to drivers who were in the area at the time and saw a black BMW X5 before the collision, or saw anyone on foot or who may have been picked up by a vehicle in the area of Conways Road at around the time.
“Anyone with information or dash cam footage is asked to contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 101 or email CollisionAppeal@essex.pnn.police.ukquoting incident number 99 of 5 October.
OFFICERS carrying out a series of early morning raids targeting organised crime have arrested nine people and seized a five figure sum of cash and Class B drugs.
In total, seven warrants were executed simultaneously in the south and west of the county, including in Grays, Wickford, Brentwood and Canvey Island at 6.30am today (Wednesday 7 October).
They come as part of an investigation into the sale of drugs in Essex.
The nine people were arrested on suspicion of drugs and money laundering offences.
Officers also found a cannabis grow and equipment.
The investigation was one of those which came from Op Venetic – a major operation involving the cracking of a bespoke encrypted global communication service, exclusively used by criminals
EncroChat offered a secure mobile phone instant messaging service with 60,000 users worldwide and around 10,000 in the UK.
The primary use was for co-ordinating and planning criminal activities including the distribution of illicit commodities and money laundering. Since 2016, international law enforcement agencies worked together to target EncroChat, and other encrypted criminal communications platforms, and earlier this year agencies in France and the Netherlands infiltrated the platform.
The intelligence gleaned through this was then shared via Europol to national law enforcement agencies.
Detective Inspector Steve Nelson, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, who led the warrants, said: “Drugs cause misery to our communities and we know their sale can also lead to other forms of crime, including burglaries, robberies, and violent crime.
“Where drugs are being sold, often there are also vulnerable people being exploited.
“We will always do everything we can to protect people and keep people safe and the warrants this morning will help do that.”
A DRUG dealer attracted police attention because of his suspicious driving, resulting in searches that uncovered drugs and a large amount of cash.
Shaquille Parchment was arrested on 15 August this year after officers patrolling in South Ockendon spotted a Fiat Bravo that appeared to be trying to avoid their marked police car and was driving oddly.
Officers from Thurrock’s Local Policing Team stopped the car in Hatfield Road, Chafford Hundred, and spoke to Parchment, who was driving, and his passenger.
He initially gave a false name but one of the officers recognised him, and a fingerprint check established his true identity. Checks also showed he had no driving licence or insurance.
Officers carried out a search of the car because they could smell cannabis and saw the remnants of cannabis.
They found cocaine hidden inside a roll-on deodorant bottle and some cannabis in the centre console.
When Parchment was later searched, he had a flick knife hidden in his boxer shorts and around £200 cash.
Parchments address in Hedingham Road, Chafford Hundred was also searched, and a large amount of cannabis bud, drugs paraphernalia including scales and deal bags, and £4,300 cash was found. The drugs seized had a street value of up to around £3,680.
Officers from Operation Raptor charged and remanded Parchment, 19, who appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court on 17 August, where he admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis, possession of a bladed article in a public place, possession of criminal property, obstructing an officer in the execution of their duty, driving without insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.
He was sentenced at Basildon Crown Court on 1 October to a total of three years and four months in a Young Offender Institution. The court heard he was also in breach of a suspended sentence. The drugs, mobile phones and knife will be destroyed.
Pc Jon Kemp, of Op Raptor West, said: “Parchment tried to evade police but was caught red handed. He now finds himself in prison and we are applying to the court to seize any money he has made through criminal means. “Having a criminal record is just one of the risks of being involved in gangs. You can lose your freedom and jeopardise your future. “There are other ways to earn money, respect and a comfortable life that don’t involve risking your freedom or endangering yourself.”
A lorry container became a “tomb” as 39 desperate men, women and children suffocated inside, a court has heard reports the BBC.
The bodies were discovered in the lorry in the early hours of 23 October 2019
Temperatures in the unit reached an “unbearable” 38.5C as the Vietnamese nationals were sealed inside for at least 12 hours, jurors were told.
Their bodies were found when the container was eventually opened in Purfleet, Essex, on 23 October, 2019.
Lorry driver Eamonn Harrison and Gheorghe Nica are on trial at the Old Bailey accused of manslaughter.
The pair are also accused of being part of a people-smuggling conspiracy with another lorry driver, Christopher Kennedy, and Valentin Calota. ‘Fraught with danger’
Opening their Old Bailey trial, Bill Emlyn Jones told jurors it was a “sad and unavoidable truth” that some people were prepared to go to great lengths to come to the UK “for a better life”, adding the cost was some £10,000 per person.
He told jurors: “Obviously, any time you fill an airtight container with a large number of people, where they will be left for hours and hours, with no means of escape and no means of communication with the outside world – well, it is fraught with danger.”
Mr Emlyn Jones said the victims – aged between 15 and 44 – were “husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters”.
He told how Mr Harrison drove them to Zeebrugge in Belgium, where the container was loaded on to a cargo ship bound for the UK.
Another lorry driver, Maurice Robinson, then collected the trailer from Purfleet in Essex when it arrived just after midnight on 23 October, the court heard.
The prosecutor said that by then it had been some 12 hours at least since “any meaningful amount of fresh air had been let into the sealed container”.
Robinson had been sent a message from his boss to “give them air quickly, but don’t let them out”, the court heard.
“What he found must haunt him still,” Mr Emlyn Jones said. “For the 39 men and women inside, that lorry had become their tomb.”
The refrigerator had not been turned on during the journey, meaning the temperature inside the trailer rose to 38.5C, he added.
When Mr Kennedy learned of the deaths, he told a friend there “must have been too many and run out of air”, the court heard.
Mr Emlyn Jones said: “What it must have been like inside that lorry does not bear thinking about. In fact, we do have some direct evidence of what the victims were going through, recovered from some of their mobile phones.”
One victim – 28-year-old Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh – had written a text message that was never sent, saying: “Maybe going to die in the container, can’t breathe any more dear.”
“They had no signal inside the container, so could not call for help or alert the outside world to their plight. But naturally, in desperation, they tried,” Mr Emlyn Jones said.
Nica, 43, of Basildon, Essex, and Mr Harrison, 23, of Mayobridge, Co Down, Northern Ireland, deny 39 counts of manslaughter.
Nica has admitted conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration between 1 May 2018 and 24 October 2019.
Mr Harrison, Mr Calota, 37, of Birmingham, and Mr Kennedy, 24, of Co Armagh, Northern Ireland, deny the conspiracy charge.
SIX men have been charged following a series of early morning warrants in south and west Essex and London yesterday.
In total, seven warrants were executed simultaneously including in Grays, Wickford, Brentwood, and Canvey Island at around 6.30am yesterday (Wednesday 7 October).
The raids are part of an investigation into the sale of drugs in Essex. Nine people were arrested and officers found a five-figure sum of cash, and a cannabis grow and equipment.
Six men have now been charged. Four of them are due to appear at Basildon Magistrates’ Court today (Thursday 8 October) charged with conspiring to supply a Class A drug.
They are: * Russell Hands, 43, of The Chase, Wickford * Michael Read, 53, of Crouch Road, Chadwell St Mary * Mark Scarborough, 34, of Adams Glade, Rochford * Mark Gooch, 37, of Sandringham Road, Pilgrims Hatch
Two other men have also been charged with conspiring to supply a Class A drug. Conrad Deprose, 28, of Alicia Avenue, Wickford is due to appear at Basildon Magistrates’ Court on 10 December while Jeremy Goldner, 53, of Northolm, Edgware is due to appear at the same court on 21 December.
A 44 year-old woman from Canvey Island has been released on bail until 2 November while a 19 year-old man from Pilgrims Hatch has been released under investigation.
A 53 year-old man was taken to hospital following his arrest and is there currently.
The investigation was one of those which came from Op Venetic – a major operation involving the cracking of a bespoke encrypted global communication service, exclusively used by criminals
EncroChat offered a secure mobile phone instant messaging service with 60,000 users worldwide and around 10,000 in the UK.
The primary use was for co-ordinating and planning criminal activities including the distribution of illicit commodities and money laundering.
Since 2016, international law enforcement agencies worked together to target EncroChat, and other encrypted criminal communications platforms, and earlier this year agencies in France and the Netherlands infiltrated the platform.
The intelligence gleaned through this was then shared via Europol to national law enforcement agencies.
THIRTY-nine people may have died in the back of a lorry because people smugglers got “greedy” and attempted “two loads in one”, a court has heard reports the BBC.
The Vietnamese nationals, aged between 15 and 44, suffocated as they were transported from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Purfleet on 23 October last year.
Jurors were told there had been identical and successful trips with fewer people on 11 and 18 October.
Four men are on trial at the Old Bailey in connection with the deaths.
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones said the journey turned to tragedy because the smugglers, who were being paid £10,000 per person, got “too greedy”.
He suggested they may have been “under pressure to double up” after 20 migrants were removed from a lorry driven by Christopher Kennedy, one of those on trial, on 14 October near Eurotunnel in France.
The bodies were discovered in the lorry in the early hours of 23 October 2019
Mr Emlyn Jones told jurors: “It may well have crossed your minds – why did this trip go so terribly wrong, when on the other occasions the migrants survived the trip and were safely unloaded?
“You may well conclude that on this occasion the criminals just got too greedy, at £10,000 a head.
“They had too many people loaded into a single lorry.”
At least two of the migrants discovered in Mr Kennedy’s lorry on 14 October were found dead in the trailer at an Essex industrial estate nine days later.
During the mid-afternoon ferry crossing on 22 October, oxygen started to run out inside the trailer and the temperature was rising into the thirties.
Some of the people in the trailer tried to make phone calls but could not get a signal.
A port worker who drove the unaccompanied trailer off the ship just after midnight noticed a pungent smell “similar to waste”, the court heard.
Gheorge Nica, 43, of Basildon, Essex, and Eamonn Harrison, 23, of Mayobridge, Co Down, Northern Ireland, deny 39 counts of manslaughter.
Mr Harrison, Mr Kennedy, 24, of Co Armagh, Northern Ireland and Valentin Calota 37, of Birmingham, deny being part of a wider people-smuggling operation, which Mr Nica has admitted.
ESSEX Police has warned 20 ‘rubberneckers’ they will be fined after filming the aftermath of a horror crash on their mobiles while driving by.
Cops have slammed the drivers after they spotted clutching their phones to capture the wreckage with just one hand on the wheel.
Emergency services rushed to the scene on the A13 in Thurrock where an Audi car had been “rear-ended” by a HGV causing it to smash into a flat bed truck.
The crash caused large queues of traffic on the A13 and nearby M25, leading to the road being shut for much of the day.
Essex Police has now released a new photo of the incident showing the car involved wedged under a lorry in front.
And the force also issued a stark warning to drivers who they say used their phones to film the incident from behind the wheel while driving by.
Essex Roads Policing Unit South said in a tweet. ‘Thankfully the driver of this car hit from behind by an HGV on the A13 earlier wasn’t seriously hurt,’
‘To the 20 or so drivers who drove by one handed to film it with your phones not watching the road ahead, keep an eye on your mailbox …as we’ll be in touch.’
